Julie Lawry (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
princessvegas) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2021-10-29 08:55 pm
princessvegas) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-10-29 08:55 pm
HAPPY HALLOWEEN ABRAXAS
Who: Julie Lawry and YOU, everyone
Where: The Horizon, Julie's domain
When: Halloween
What: P A R T Y
Warnings: alcohol, drugs, general party stuff. please put cws in subject lines if they come up!
01 | WAIT
It isn't hard to find Julie's domain. As she had told anyone who visited her prior to this evening, all you ever need to do is follow the music. For a hundred yards in any direction, muffled bass radiates through air. Neon illuminates the entrance in pink, lights a path along the pink carpet and pink velvet rope barricade. The huge double doors are what stick out. Covering the frosted glass, lit from behind, are dozens of bloody splatters and handprints, some of which appear to have been dragged off to the side. Written in giant letters of blood, the door reads TURN BACK NOW.
True to the invite that everyone accidentally received in their vision (most people also got a paper copy left in their domain -- like hell was she going to put in the effort and then throw it away), the doors of Julie's club remain firmly closed until exactly 10pm. At 10, the neon abruptly extinguishes itself and the music goes silent, leaving the area in pitch black quiet. The doors swing open on their own and fog floods out as screams echo from within. The bass starts back up, reverberating at frequency designed to shake the human body from within.
The screams raise to a fever pitch as the lights suddenly come back on, timed to sync with cannons that fire black and red confetti over everyone waiting. It's time.
02 | DANCE
Inside, the entire club has been decorated to appear as if it had sprouted in a desolate forest under a harvest moon, represented by a massive orange orb suspended from the ceiling. Barren trees sprout from the slick black floor, moss and spiders cloaking their protruding roots. In the upper levels of the branches, bodies swing in nonexistent winds, hanging on rotted ropes, bloodied sacks covering their heads. The bar is draped in more moss and spiderwebs, and a bartender dressed as a very convincing zombie is already pouring drinks into the many glasses waiting to be drunk. The bartender's name is Steven, if you need anything, and every drink he makes is the best drink you've ever had. There are tubs of water where you can bob for miniature bottles of Fireball, which must be immediately taken as a shot upon winning one, and some tables bear trays of shot glasses, each one with little floating eyeballs or brains in the drink (they're gummies, and safe to consume). There is a buffet of candy and various creepy snacks against one wall, though it also bears literal dishes of drugs for the taking; bowls of pills and plates of cocaine, and of course, a whole cauldron filled with large blunts and packages of edibles in every variety imaginable, all free for the taking.
The booths and seating are all black now, and look like they've been left to decay for years. More orange orbs light each table. The music is loud, but only comfortably so -- never so loud that it makes conversation difficult. The dance floor is lit from underneath, and strobes in time with the beat. There are already people dancing, although fewer than usual, and though they're all in costume, they ignore everyone unless directly interacted with. These are manifested people, designed to make sure that Julie is never alone, and she doesn't have the heart to unmake them, so instead, they're used as moving decor. The DJ booth looms large above the dance floor, set into the VIP balcony. Blood persistently drips from the edge of the balcony, though it never seems to accumulate anywhere in particular. A separate, smaller stage is set off to one side, with a professional karaoke setup; it's not lit up for use, but can be with the flip of a switch.
03 | SCREAM
If you move through the club, as if to get to the back wall, you'll find that the light gradually grows more sterile and the music fades as the furnishings become sparser and sparser. Eventually, you'll find yourself in what appears to be an abandoned, empty warehouse. The floor is filthy, and there's an ominous industrial fan set in the far back wall, wooshing as it slowly turns. The overhead lighting flickers off and on.
There's a separate structure, two stories and boxy, that's been roped off to prevent entry -- private quarters that Julie put in later, a lofted apartment in case she wants to be somewhere a bit more quiet, with the modern conveniences that she doesn't have outside the Horizon.
But there's a larger structure, shrouded in darkness, and this building-within-a-building has a wide open door. Screaming and violent noises ring from within, and a crooked sign, lit up in black light with glowing white print, points the way in, asking everyone who sees it FEELING BRAVE?.
Inside the haunted house, there is only black light and various glowing colors, all mimicking the negative of a scene from a horror movie. Following the path and noise seems safe at first; though there are creepy things and the feeling of phantom cobwebs accosting you at every turn, there is nobody around. That is, until you turn the first corner. As you do, people in all black with only neon and fluorescent paint to define them begin to swarm at you, cackling and brandishing glowing weapons. They're surprisingly energetic for manifested people, and Julie has worked very hard to get them to do what she wants. They're aggressive but in a defined way; they chase but don't touch, lunge but allow people to escape. They seem to come from nowhere, every time you feel just a little bit less nervous. (If struck, they respond only by immediately leaving the area.) The sound effects crescendo as you come out of the other side, where a table of picture frames hold photos of your funniest scared faces during the experience. They're free for the taking, although of course they can't be taken back to Abraxas, and a celebratory drink accompanies each snapshot. A pink carpet leads the way back to the club.
The night is yours.
[ ooc notes: The pictures are mostly to give a vibe. Since the Horizon is amazing, feel free to presume things look much much much better IC. If you would like a better idea of what her domain actually looks like, please click here! ]
Where: The Horizon, Julie's domain
When: Halloween
What: P A R T Y
Warnings: alcohol, drugs, general party stuff. please put cws in subject lines if they come up!
01 | WAIT
It isn't hard to find Julie's domain. As she had told anyone who visited her prior to this evening, all you ever need to do is follow the music. For a hundred yards in any direction, muffled bass radiates through air. Neon illuminates the entrance in pink, lights a path along the pink carpet and pink velvet rope barricade. The huge double doors are what stick out. Covering the frosted glass, lit from behind, are dozens of bloody splatters and handprints, some of which appear to have been dragged off to the side. Written in giant letters of blood, the door reads TURN BACK NOW.
True to the invite that everyone accidentally received in their vision (most people also got a paper copy left in their domain -- like hell was she going to put in the effort and then throw it away), the doors of Julie's club remain firmly closed until exactly 10pm. At 10, the neon abruptly extinguishes itself and the music goes silent, leaving the area in pitch black quiet. The doors swing open on their own and fog floods out as screams echo from within. The bass starts back up, reverberating at frequency designed to shake the human body from within.
The screams raise to a fever pitch as the lights suddenly come back on, timed to sync with cannons that fire black and red confetti over everyone waiting. It's time.
02 | DANCE
Inside, the entire club has been decorated to appear as if it had sprouted in a desolate forest under a harvest moon, represented by a massive orange orb suspended from the ceiling. Barren trees sprout from the slick black floor, moss and spiders cloaking their protruding roots. In the upper levels of the branches, bodies swing in nonexistent winds, hanging on rotted ropes, bloodied sacks covering their heads. The bar is draped in more moss and spiderwebs, and a bartender dressed as a very convincing zombie is already pouring drinks into the many glasses waiting to be drunk. The bartender's name is Steven, if you need anything, and every drink he makes is the best drink you've ever had. There are tubs of water where you can bob for miniature bottles of Fireball, which must be immediately taken as a shot upon winning one, and some tables bear trays of shot glasses, each one with little floating eyeballs or brains in the drink (they're gummies, and safe to consume). There is a buffet of candy and various creepy snacks against one wall, though it also bears literal dishes of drugs for the taking; bowls of pills and plates of cocaine, and of course, a whole cauldron filled with large blunts and packages of edibles in every variety imaginable, all free for the taking.
The booths and seating are all black now, and look like they've been left to decay for years. More orange orbs light each table. The music is loud, but only comfortably so -- never so loud that it makes conversation difficult. The dance floor is lit from underneath, and strobes in time with the beat. There are already people dancing, although fewer than usual, and though they're all in costume, they ignore everyone unless directly interacted with. These are manifested people, designed to make sure that Julie is never alone, and she doesn't have the heart to unmake them, so instead, they're used as moving decor. The DJ booth looms large above the dance floor, set into the VIP balcony. Blood persistently drips from the edge of the balcony, though it never seems to accumulate anywhere in particular. A separate, smaller stage is set off to one side, with a professional karaoke setup; it's not lit up for use, but can be with the flip of a switch.
03 | SCREAM
If you move through the club, as if to get to the back wall, you'll find that the light gradually grows more sterile and the music fades as the furnishings become sparser and sparser. Eventually, you'll find yourself in what appears to be an abandoned, empty warehouse. The floor is filthy, and there's an ominous industrial fan set in the far back wall, wooshing as it slowly turns. The overhead lighting flickers off and on.
There's a separate structure, two stories and boxy, that's been roped off to prevent entry -- private quarters that Julie put in later, a lofted apartment in case she wants to be somewhere a bit more quiet, with the modern conveniences that she doesn't have outside the Horizon.
But there's a larger structure, shrouded in darkness, and this building-within-a-building has a wide open door. Screaming and violent noises ring from within, and a crooked sign, lit up in black light with glowing white print, points the way in, asking everyone who sees it FEELING BRAVE?.
Inside the haunted house, there is only black light and various glowing colors, all mimicking the negative of a scene from a horror movie. Following the path and noise seems safe at first; though there are creepy things and the feeling of phantom cobwebs accosting you at every turn, there is nobody around. That is, until you turn the first corner. As you do, people in all black with only neon and fluorescent paint to define them begin to swarm at you, cackling and brandishing glowing weapons. They're surprisingly energetic for manifested people, and Julie has worked very hard to get them to do what she wants. They're aggressive but in a defined way; they chase but don't touch, lunge but allow people to escape. They seem to come from nowhere, every time you feel just a little bit less nervous. (If struck, they respond only by immediately leaving the area.) The sound effects crescendo as you come out of the other side, where a table of picture frames hold photos of your funniest scared faces during the experience. They're free for the taking, although of course they can't be taken back to Abraxas, and a celebratory drink accompanies each snapshot. A pink carpet leads the way back to the club.
The night is yours.
[ ooc notes: The pictures are mostly to give a vibe. Since the Horizon is amazing, feel free to presume things look much much much better IC. If you would like a better idea of what her domain actually looks like, please click here! ]
no subject
I would never-- I'm not--
[ Oh, no. Jaskier's seen through her. Seen what, exactly, it's difficult to tell -- but it's something, the way he's emphasizing his words suggestively. The fact he's a succubus doesn't help. Nor does the fact that he's right. ]
Well, I... I did ask someone to meet me here. When they are ready to come to the party.
no subject
You would never suck on a neck, or need my help?
[He's rather giddy about either question. Unfortunately, it's very likely that the sweets that Julie offered him are definitely settling deep in his blood. It's also hard to tell, because it's Jaskier, and he's always sort of like this, but with less of that slight slur to his words.
He gasps, his tail shooting straight up.] Ciri! You didn't! Who? When? You invited someone to this party with you? [He looks about as if Ciri has offered his own, personal tray of sweetrolls.] Tell me about them! Someone I know? From Cadens? They must be one of us, then, to come to the Horizon?
no subject
She leans in close to him, clinging to his arm and staring off somewhere across the mass of people wiggling around in their strange, swaying form of dance. They all look. Very close together. ]
It's not like that...
I mean, yes, it's someone from-- one of us. But it's not like I'm expecting anything. Just-- I thought we could enjoy each other's company. That it might be... nice. You're the one who said it'd be good to have a little fun after everything. You aren't allowed to embarrass me over it now.
no subject
[He smiles. It's a bit loopy, but it's honestly very pleased with her. For her. Why is everyone always so much like this when he hears even a stray note of romance? He's a poet, for the gods' sake! This is what he lives for! What else is there in the world, if not for good drink, and company, and romance? Ignore the fact he totally was implying she could be necking someone if she wanted.]
Who says you must expect anything? Ciri, come, you must know this about me. If I know anything, I know the intricate dances that... well, that company can learn. I have no expectations, of course. I only wish to know, for I am endlessly curious.
[To know more about her. About who she fancies. What company she likes. Of what happiness she can find in other people. (Sam told him, later, how she fled. And he put it together, that she couldn't come into that room with him for a spell. The more they understand each other, the less... the less chance that would happen again. That fissure.)]
And how am I embarrassing? I think this is fine news! And, honestly, this party is -- it's a lot, actually, but it's great fun, and I think the more relaxed you are, and perhaps they are -- whoever this mysterious person may be -- the better both of your companies will settle together.
[What he does not speak, and what he never will, is that there is some semblance of relief: that she does not strive for the lonely life that Geralt took upon himself. Isolated. Defensive, even. People inflict their presence on Geralt (himself included, of course) like a fever, but Ciri... Ciri invites them. She invites company.]
no subject
You know far more than I do in this realm, Jaskier. I do not doubt that.
[ She's been drinking all night trying to get relaxed enough to stop worrying, and to stop being so anxious about how loud and bright and unfamiliar everything is. Alina probably won't like it. She hadn't known-- but it'd be even more uncomfortable now to try to do anything but wait. They agreed on a time coming up fairly soon. Ciri is excited to see how her costume has turned out. Honestly, just excited to see... her.
It's a good thing overindulging in drink in the Horizon just makes one drunker and not sick or she'd be in trouble by now. Which means that lightheaded feeling coming over her is probably something else.
Ciri presses her forehead to Jaskier's shoulder. ]
What if I'm making a mistake? She was just being kind to me. I shouldn't have assumed it meant anything.
[ She'd spent far too long parched for kindness and company in the past. It's easy to misread, to see what one wants to see where there is nothing. Easy to get hurt. ]
no subject
Jaskier takes her with a loose arm and gives her possibly the most awkward hug one can do when they're dressed as a succubus, but it is meant to be comforting and he isn't thinking about it. She is bringing the mood down, but he is not so -- er, so inebriated that he could ignore the very real fear in her voice.]
There is no safety in assumptions -- or, I think more likely is the case, hope. But there's nothing wrong with that, is there? [He pulls back to look at her, giving her a smile with a soft pat of her cheek.] Ciri, you are allowed to want kindness. And dare I say, you deserve it. So I do believe this is the sort of danger that is always worth facing.
[Never let it be said that Jaskier will ever be too drunk or high to offer very important advice. (Though he had not expected Ciri would ever need it. Or ask for it. Not from him.)] And if she does fail to show after your kind invitation, we will find where she lives and we will throw rotten tomatoes through the open window.
no subject
Which means she's also absolutely terrible at hiding how much his words affect her. Ciri blinks, eyes swimming (why is Jaskier so good at making her cry? whoops), and squeezes his hand when he pulls back. Her watery smile actually turns into a laugh at his additional advice. If it can be called advice. A threat? Mostly, it warms her heart that he says we. And that he doesn't question she.
Normally about Jaskier's height, Ciri finds herself having to lean down a tiny bit now thanks to the heels. She gives him a kiss on the cheek. ]
I knew I could rely on you.
no subject
He even gets a kiss for it. He laughs.]
Don't say that in front of Geralt, he'll tell you otherwise. [He kisses her back, a peck on the cheek and a patting of his hands on her shoulders as if to give her the strength to face this. Funny, he thinks, that this should make her afraid, when she was in training to be a Witcher.
They all have their strengths.]
Look, come to me at the end of the party and let me know how it goes. But I believe you'll sweep her off her feet, if that's what you want.
no subject
[ And Ciri trusts him too. Where it matters, he is reliable, and she doesn't doubt that. Maybe it's a little bit of the leftover guilt from keeping her abilities from him and it resulting in such a mess. But she thinks he ought to hear it. ]
As do I. I'll find you later.
Now... don't tell anyone about this! It's bad luck.
[ Is it? Or did she just make that up? Mostly, she's embarrassed, and if it doesn't go well, at least only Jaskier will know. ]
no subject
(He does like hearing it. A lot.)
Jaskier grins at her, perhaps a bit too coyly.] What? And forgo the experience of bragging about your exploits? How will I ever manage? I had ballads planned!
[It's definitely a tease with how his voice nearly turns sing-song-y. He reaches over to her hair and tucks a stray piece behind her ear, while magically summoning a little bunch of white flowers and bright green leaves in her hair -- matching the tint of the former, and the bright irises of her eyes. It's pushing the sort of walls they still maintain between them, but Jaskier is eased into his whims by a heady combination of alcohol and drugs that are getting progressively stronger. And she's much less likely to be mad about it than Geralt.
Maybe it doesn't fit a vampire, but he thinks it's fetching all the same.]
I won't tell a soul, I promise. And you had better have a very good time, or I shall be quite upset.
no subject
It's an accurate guess. Ciri reaches up and gently feels out the shape of a flower with the tips of her fingers.
A poet who makes birds and flowers. She smiles. If she thinks of the vines, the violence, it doesn't linger; none of that had been Jaskier's fault, and she is nothing but relieved that his magic can do more than little tricks, that it can protect him too. Jaskier's magic doesn't scare her.
And she doesn't care if it doesn't suit a vampire. This whole outfit is the most ridiculous version of a vampire in the first place, so that doesn't matter at all. Ciri tucks the flower into her hair more securely, making sure it sticks there, and with the Horizon's influence, it won't be dislodged now even if she decides to do a flip. ]
I'll do my best. If there's anything ballad-worthy, you'll be the first to know. [ she agrees, too excited and happy about his support and encouragement to think better of it.
Drunkenly promising your pseudo-uncle to dish about your girlcrush is definitely fine. ]
no subject
Even in a drunken haze, he cannot forget her words, quiet as they were. Picking him up and throwing him onto the back of a whiny mule.]
Ciri. [He very solemnly puts a hand over his heart.] I could hardly imagine ever being more honored.
[And then he breaks into a grin. Oof, these drugs are doing a number on him.] Now, please. If you stay any longer I'll force you to dance with me, and then what will your companion think? Well, besides that you're quite capable of capturing the attention of the most handsome man here.