[You'll Be Caught In The Night - After Life Halloween Party]

[orlokbutterfly]

Who: Everyone
What: Halloween Party
Where: Nova City - After Life
When: 4 PM October 31st to who knows how early of November 1st
Warnings: B for boos and booze. Also Gale is there so that deserves a warning in itself. Is spooky.

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Welcome to After Life. The entrance of the Nova City nightclub has the additional illumination courtesy of a purple neon bat to welcome the party goers, which that little bat seems more inviting than the almost ominous fog coming out of the front doors. Just beyond the door are a variety of glowsticks, should one feel so inclined to equip themselves with them for the night. The varying colored glass tables are trimmed with fake cobwebs with little spider lights illuminating from beneath it while at each table's end has a jack-o'-lantern of different carvings with color changing LED lights inside. The club's colored strobe lighting reflects off of the club's crystalline walls to help lend to the atmosphere in an almost eerie manner, even adding additional color to the fog hovering over the floor.


As the party begins, Gale makes a special introduction to the ladies who helped make the party possible- Yang Xiao Long, Ayame Sasaki, Gwen Stacy and Mikaela Banes. He wouldn't let the party go on without the much deserved recognition for them.

Food and Refreshments

The bar area has a variety of different foods and snacks for people to enjoy. Brownies, cupcakes and truffles from local confectionaries and other, less sugary options like jalapeno poppers, mummy hot dogs, garlic bread snakes, deviled egg spiders, salsa and dipping sauces with bat chips, dragonfly sushi and spooky fruit monsters are laid throughout the table. At the far end of the table is a little animatronic black cat with glowing green eyes.

Looking for something a little heavier than just snacks to eat, in case you missed lunch? Available to you on another nearby table are shaped pasta with varying sauce options, monster burgers, four different bento boxes, and snake shaped calzones each labeled with different pizza toppings for the stuffing. Yes. A few have pineapple in them. Please do not start a war in Gale's club.

There are various labeled cauldrons of non-alcoholic drinks such as water, punch and soda are on the table while other available are drinks such as mixed soda and punch floats and milkshake shots are there. All of the glasses on the table all have googly eyes attached to them. Also on this table is Gale's Cubone, wearing a tiny vampire cape and patrolling around the cauldrons. Don't even think about trying something funny or trying to spike the drinks, because Cubone will smack the culprit's hand with his bone and start wailing to lure the host over. Just don't even do it unless you want thrown out.

Bar Area

Need a beverage of the alcoholic variety? You'll want to visit the local alchemist over here. Overhead of the bar where the drink glasses hang are little bat lights that occasionally flicker and the cobwebs are lined around the edges of the circular bar counter. A pumpkin with the carving of a butterfly sits on the counter top with a flickering purple light within it. Drinks from the bar will be served in beaker and vial glasses.

Dance Floor and Stage

That stage up there sure looks inviting, as if it's just waiting to have one of its musical guests come on stage and steal the show for a short time. In fact, it's very much encouraged to do just that. While the stage is without a DJ or other performer, a preset playlist of the club's usual music as well as a list of Halloween music will cycle through- just be ready for the Monster Mash to play several times during the night. A skeleton is set up near the speakers, and it seems to 'dance' in time with the music. Up above the stage is a web with an animatronic spider that comes down from its web occasionally with flickering red eyes.

If you look closely through the thin veil of fog on the floor, you may notice reflective decals of monstrous footprints leading to the dance floor, as if trying to hint and lead the guests out to get their dance on. But party goers beware, there may be an impromptu dance to Thriller at some point in the night, and your host may judge every single one of you if you don't get in on it.

VIP Room

The VIP Room is a little less rowdy than the main area of the club, and is meant for a more chill atmosphere compared to the rest of the party. The room has its own stage for anyone to take over separate of the main room, but beware, this stage may have its own different kind of horror: Karaoke.

The tables here also have cobweb and spider lights around them and the lights in the room are a little dimmer, to accommodate the rotating bulb that casts shadow creatures on the walls of the room. You may want to come here if you want to eat an actual meal in peace without all the buzz from the bar area.

Employee Lounge

VIP Room not calm enough? Asking Gale or another After Life employee will grant you access to the employee lounge so you can have a little rest on the couches. The only drinks readily available in here is water over on the counter. The noise from the main area is completely nullified in this room. The party goes on all night, don't be afraid to take a breather.



Guests under 16 will receive a small bag of candy for attending, while guests 16 and older will receive some drink coupons to use at any of the three Gale Force club locations.

Comments

[pianola]

Yes. It is the best part of this place.

[ Though she prefers home, even still, even if it wasn't as beautiful ]

Like Fayren?

[mother_of_monsters]

We should go to the beach sometimes then.

[He has no idea if android can get tanned but they can still play in the sand and have fun.]

No! Greener that than. All you see everywhere are beautiful flowers, waterfalls and tall trees. I wish I could show it to you.

[pianola]

... Perhaps.

[ She wasn't certain about the beach. Lots of sand, lots of ocean water, none of it sounded appealing on its surface. But, Dorothy supposed she wouldn't know unless she tried it first.

What he described sounded too fantastic. ]

Greener than Fayren.

I can't picture that.

Already, these places now are the greenest things I have ever seen.

[mother_of_monsters]

We can go somewhere else if you don't like the beach. I already told you there's no need to agree with me if you don't feel like it.

[Honestly, Dray wouldn't be offended or think less of her if she refused his invitation.]

I wish I could show you somehow. it really can't compare. There aren't even river mermaids in this cities or hurogas. Those are really cute.

[pianola]

... The beaches in Paradigm aren't places to visit. [ They're wastelands, ruins, littered with parts of the past. ]

I assume it's different, here.

[ She think she knows what a mermaid is, thanks especially to Genessia. However - ]

What is a huroga?

[mother_of_monsters]

That's a shame. I always liked swimming so I take advantage of the opportunity to get into rivers or lakes.

[Okay, how to explain an animal that doesn't exist at all in this world? One of Dray's ears drops as he thinks about how to go about it.]

They're, uhm...the males are chubbier and shorter than the females but both are kinda squishy. They're a bit like...what you get if you mix a worm and a ferret but with more small feet, like a centipede. They're the size of a chicken. Do you have those animals in your world? The males also have two long and thin antennae on their heads. Both of them have coloured patterns on their backs and they're very friendly.

[pianola]

There are swimming pools. [ Though they're not really Dorothy's thing, considering how heavy she is. ]

... There are no ferrets in Paradigm.

But I've seen them now, in Fayren. One of my friends here keeps a lot of animals, though I don't believe she has pet hurogas.

Your world sounds different than most.

[ And that was saying something, really. A lot of worlds, Dorothy was learning, tended to have certain similarities. ]

[mother_of_monsters]

What's a swimming pool? Like, a puddle?

[He's never heard of seen one of those before.]

is that friend you are talking about named Fai? he has a lot of animals too, mostly baby cats and bunnies. Oh..wait you said she. [With a sheepish look on his face, Dray rubs the back of his head.] Then no, Fai's a boy. What's your friend's name? perhaps I know her.

I take that as a compliment.

[pianola]

No. It is a man-made structure. Usually of cement and concrete, lined with tile, built with drains. Humans fill it with clean water, to bathe in. It is considerably larger than a bath tub.

[ Dorothy pauses. A lot of people had pets, here, and while she was getting more used to that, and all the animals naturally around them, it still surprised her a little. She wasn't quite used to people outside the hyper-rich having them. ]

Her name is Satori. She keeps to herself most of the time. You may have met her sister, Koishi.

[ May have, of course. She knew the youkai's powers made it hard for people to remember her. ]

[mother_of_monsters]

Humans make all sort of strange things. Why do they need such big place to bathe? Isn't it a waste of resources? They must need a lot of soap.

[The more he learns about some human things, the least Dray understand them.]

Uhm...no, I never talked to any of them, I think. But I saw Koishi at the Attleton Games.

[pianola]

Not that manner of 'bathing'.

But to relax in water. For recreation. Or to swim, again, for recreation.

I don't understand them.

[ Again, because she tended to sink. ]

Attleton games?

That must have been before I arrived.

[mother_of_monsters]

So, more like swimming in a lake. I like that.

That makes two of us.

[But he would so be against chlorine water, it would smell terrible to him.]

This last summer we had some Olympic games. I won't some silver medals and a cute stuffed toy.

When did you get here?

[pianola]

[ She hadn't heard of the Olympic games before, but she thought it was pretty well understood she didn't understand what they were. ]

I arrived here almost three months ago.

I haven't been here very long at all.

How long have you been here?

[mother_of_monsters]

[ooc: asdkgasdkj that was supposed to be 'I won'... no 'I won't', sorry.]

Oh, that's not a lot.

[Dray adjusted the crown in his head when it was about to fall.]

I've been here since July but in my world, it was February when I left. it's weird.

[pianola]

It is very weird.

[ Said completely deadpan, but she's being honest. ]

Though no stranger than most things here.

[mother_of_monsters]

Yes, that's a good point. sure it isn't' stranger than having giant gates that let you enter other worlds. [He still hasn't visited any subarchway but he knows about the odd things in them. Dray once again looks towards the stage.]

Still not feeling like giving singing a try?

[pianola]

I ...

[ She hesitates, again.

Then, very quiet: ]

I haven't sung for anyone since my father died.

[mother_of_monsters]

[Dray's ears shot up, taken aback by the reply, until he gets his owns emotion under control. His voice is kind when he finally speak, as if he understand that kind of pain.]

I'm sorry. Did he liked listening to you sing?

[pianola]

[ She hadn't told anyone before, but Dray shared his own struggles with her - at least some of them.

Her voice was still quiet. ]

I think it's what he liked best about me.

[mother_of_monsters]

[It's sad that they can related to each others because of this but they at least know what the other might be going through.]

You must have a really nice voice. You could still sing something for him, even if he's not here.

[pianola]

...

[ She stares at the stage, and then looks back at him. ]

... Maybe I should sing something for myself.

[mother_of_monsters]

[Dray gives another softer smile and nods encouragingly.]

I'd love to hear that.

[pianola]

[ Dorothy turns. Approaches the stage.

Spends a little while listening to the samples on the catalog. Lots of the songs are really unfamiliar, strange, too fast, too ... electronic. She's not sure she doesn't like it, but she's also not sure she likes it.

Finally, she finds some "oldies" on the list - and these seem more like what she's used to singing.

She decides on one, which hits rather close to home - or at least, the home she left - and walks up to the microphone. ]


Baby. Now that I've found you -

I won't let you go.

I've built my world around you -

I need you so.

Baby, even though -

You don't need me ...

[mother_of_monsters]

[While Dorothy looked for the right song, Dray went to get a seat close to the stage. it wasn't as easy to sit as expecting, that with wearing a really puffy skirt, and he had to be careful and not squish his tail.

He's enthralled when she starts to sing, her voice lovely and soft. He doesn't know the song but it's an instant favorite and he's smiling as he listens. He's not the only one either, as the people around them stops talking so loudly to listen to the song.]

[pianola]

[ Dorothy let herself focus on the lyrics, how they made her feel. She tried not to think about how her father wasn't there, wasn't watching. Wasn't admiring her voice. Wasn't judging her for not being a dead human girl.

It was a mixed bag of emotions, there, so the song? The song was easier.

... Even if it made her think of someone else, and how he hadn't really needed her, either. ]

... When first we met - I knew in this heart of mine

That you were someone I couldn't forget ...

[ But as she lost herself in the lyrics, she transformed, a little.

She moved with the music, her face soft, more expressive, more open.

Showing pain, and heartache, along with the song, despite the cheery notes and tempo. ]

Now you tell me that you want to leave me,

But darling, I just can't let you ...

[ By the end, she returned to her normal posture, her normal impassive expression.

But she still curtsied for the crowd. ]