All Hallows Haunt and All Must Have Fun

[concierge]

The fog had begun near the dusk hours, coating all the plants and flowers in the garden. It settled, heavy, and blanketed everything with a new cover that was only matched in mood by the graveyard that had unearthed itself from the grass and the moss. Names were etched on each gravestone, but the most unnerving part was that every few steps, if you stopped and listened very, very carefully, you might hear a knock of a human hand against hard wood. It was almost as if the dead were being called upwards.

The maze stood normal, but inside around the corners, there were things lurking and waiting.

Outside might have become frightening and gloomy, but the contrast to indoors was stark. Inside, carved pumpkins lit with candles turned the ballroom and restaurants into amber-lit abodes, costumed partygoers twirled to the music played by the band in the lobby (while the DJ had set up in the conservatory). Candy and small hors d'oeuvres circulated on the trays of immaculately clad waiters and though outside it was stormy, foggy, and spooky, inside was a delight of themed drinks, delicious food, and the manic and half-crazed mood of people in the midst of their fun.

The party for Halloween had begun.

And there was no telling when it might ever end.

Comments

[prongsdefiant]

"Undead. Corpses that a Death Eater or some other dark wizard have reanimated to do their will. They're nasty little blighters and you don't want any around you if you can possibly help it." Unfortunately, that didn't help most of his compatriots in a pinch; nobody wanted Inferi around but they just seemed to show up anyway.

"You're not a Muggle, are you? If you are, sorry. Magic is real and I'm a wizard. Best way to stay alive is to keep close."

[ourselvesalone]

"You're a floating vampire above a potentially haunted maze on All Hallow's Eve," Victor states the facts as they are present, clenching his nails into the palm of his hand. He should be more concerned for himself given his lack of a weapon, but she doesn't seem to be after his blood. "Do you obey a master, too?"

[roartonrisen]

Kieren coughs. "I'm ah, undead," he admits with a raise of his hand like he prefers to introduce himself like that, even though he feels as if they're about to wander into some very strange territory. "I believe in...well, something. Not magic," he clarifies. "But I rose from the grave, so I can't exactly say I don't believe in anything."

[buryyouwithmysound]

Marceline shakes her head, whipping out her axe-bass and plucking a bassline. "Nah man. My only master is the music. 'Sides, I'm not gonna drink you or anything."

[prongsdefiant]

James narrowed his eyes a little and watched him for a moment, trying to decide what the best plan of attack would be. It seemed like he'd been scared a minute ago with the sounds coming out of the garden and that didn't seem to hold water with the idea of him being an Inferi. There was also the fact that he could carry on a proper conversation - that wasn't something James thought most undead could do.

"How'd that happen, mate? I'm a little skeptical."

[the_dawnster]

When she hears that particular voice Dawn has to smile. It's pretty much involuntary at this point. She likes Harvey a lot whether he wants her to like him or not. And they've spoken enough for her to recognize him. They've hung out enough for her to enjoy his company even when he's irritable. Let's face it, sometimes he's irritable. Dawn thinks it's cute.

She turns around and gives him one of those wry arched brow looks that says 'really?'. She was going to say that she wasn't a little girl but she's immediately distracted by his costume. He looks... really good. She's not going to say that out loud though because of possible embarrassment.

Instead... "Apparently the rabbit hole leads to hot baseball players." Okay, so that came out of her mouth in different ways than she intended. She holds her napkin-o-treats up to him. "Chocolate minty thing? They're super yum."

[the_dawnster]

Dawn can be extremely verbose. It's a Summers girl trait, apparently. Because her older sister does the same word vomit sort of thing. Clearly Dawn got it from her. She would apologize for it if she knew it bothered people. But as it is, she thinks people would be proud of her if they knew how much went through her mind that she didn't say. They'd realize she actually does have some restraint... sometimes.

His manner, dress and his verbage speak toward the truth of his statement. He has no clue what a video game is. She's instantly interested in him because of that. Dawn reads a lot. Some of those things historical in nature. It's clearly something she's interested in.

"Gatsby. I'm Dawn. Summers. Dawn Summers." Most awkward of introductions. But Dawn has awkwardness on most days. "So you're from before electronics and stuff? What year?"

[ourselvesalone]

"I've had far too many encounters with creatures like you to believe that," Victor says, skeptical and entirely critical of her claim. "Which way do I turn?" he asks, indicating the fork in the maze before him. "Left, right, or forward? How do I get out of here?"

[roartonrisen]

"I don't exactly know what triggered the Rising or made it happen," Kieren confesses, which is something that he knows plagues at Simon a lot. For Kieren's part, he just doesn't overly think about it because he can't put much sense into it. "One day, everyone who'd died in the last year rose from their graves, including me." He holds both hands up so he doesn't get shot or wanded or whatever magic term happens. He turns, just enough for him to see the hole.

"That's where my medication goes in," he says. "To keep me from going rabid and attacking people."

[buryyouwithmysound]

Marceline gives him a disappointed look, floating forward to get a better idea of the maze. It's not that complicated, but it's complex enough that if the guy wants out, he'd be better off listening to her.

"Honey, there's no creatures like me. Turn right."

[likepalegold]

"Miss Summers, what a pleasure to meet you," he says, all charm as he summons his words for him. "And may I say, you're as bright as your surname compels a person to think." Hiding behind his words and the infectious mood he hopes to show makes him think that he can be that someone else, still. It's a desperate thread he's clinging onto, but it's all Gatsby has, these days.

"It was 1922 where I'm from. An auspicious year, I'd like to think. There was so much in the air," he reminisces, though it's not the year he wants to get back to. It's only another in the forward trudging of time away from meeting Daisy and knowing what his life has to look like.

[prongsdefiant]

"That's not really helping me," James pointed out. Still, he lowered his wand a little and decided that if he wanted to kill him, telling him this ridiculous story wasn't really the way to do it. He would just, you know, kill him. Besides, he wasn't like any Inferi he'd seen before because he could talk and walk and did something other than lumber around mindlessly.

"Do you still take it? Your medication?"

[the_dawnster]

Sometimes desperate threads are all a person has to cling to. And sometimes a person surprises themselves by surviving by just a desperate thread. Sadly, Dawn has experience in this many times over. Meaning that she would understand were she to know that Gatsby is trying to hard to desperately cling to something. She may only be nineteen years old, but she's experienced her fair share.

As it is, Gatsby's charm isn't lost on her. She soaks it in and it only serves to make her smile grow even brighter. It isn't often that people compliment Dawn. Much less handsome men. And even much less than that, a man with such a flare as what Gatsby has. He's so clearly out of his time, now that she's taking a moment to notice. It's a novelty to her.

"Well thank you. I don't mind taking a compliment when the one giving it seems so super-duper nice all around." Just look at this bloody Alice Liddel curtsy for you, Gatsby. Did people curtsy in 1922? Nope. But she just did. Because it seemed the thing to do. "1922 was totally a fun year. You had all the flapper dresses and gangster cars and... and..." She can't think of anything else cool at the moment. Instead she goes with something historical, which while most don't think it's cool, Dawn does. "And wasn't Yankee Stadium and the Lincoln Memorial built around that time? Cause... awesomeness. They're both still standing even after the year 2000."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey, irritable? Never. The cute thing he would certainly argue.

Wasn't she not going to say that he looked really good? If he still had his 'superpower' he would've known anyway. He's actually quite glad that 'power' has decided to depart. It never once reached the point of 'fun', so he'd just rather it was gone.

He foregoes the offer of food in favor of addressing the first thing she said. "'Hot baseball players'?" he asks. "Is this because it's me or because you're really attracted to baseball players?" He might be enjoying this conversation a little bit already.

[ourselvesalone]

"I can assure you that outside of the floating mechanism you seem to possess, there are many like you," Victor informs her, taking the right and trying to keep the acerbic tone from his voice, given that he's still not out of the maze. "Feminine creatures bearing teeth and a somewhat wicked disposition. Do you drink the blood of others?"

[the_dawnster]

Of course he ignores her cover up of food to focus on what she wasn't going to say but said anyway because sometimes words just fall out of her mouth unchecked. Her lips press together and sort of twist to the side as she thinks about whether to shove some chocolate into his mouth and tell him to shut up or answer his question. Maybe she'll do both just because of the amusement factor.

"Mostly because it's you. But also I'm never opposed to boys playing sports in tight pants and fitted shirts. One could even say I enjoy ogling. If sports voyeurism were an Olympic sport, I'd be a gold medal in spectatoring." There. That wasn't too bad, was it? Noting Harvey's cuteness and then blanket covering it up with an overall appreciation of boys being boys? Yeah. She did good.

She lifts a chocolate up to his lips. "Now shut up and taste the yum."

[roartonrisen]

"Have to, every day," Kieren agrees, feeling slightly numb to talk about it. He rubs a hand over his cool skin and isn't sure what else he can say about this. "It's what prevents me from going rabid," he says, listening carefully to the knocking of the coffins beneath him. "It's what keeps me from doing what I think these people are doing. Rising from the graves," he says, and thinks to himself and being so, so hungry.

[prongsdefiant]

"Wouldn't happen to have any of that medicine on you, would you?" That would be convenient and very little about James' life was convenient of late. Mostly, his life was one disaster after another strung together by unspeakable horror and sorrow. Most of his friends had faced a Dark Wizard at least once, not to mention the various other minions in Death Eater employ.

"It'd be convenient."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

"Now I'm almost offended that you've lumped me in with all of the other guys in tight-fitting pants," he says. She's not going to get away with squirming out from under her admission. Harvey would never let that happen. He's far too egotistical for that sort of thing.

Though, he does blink and draw his head back a bit when she attacks him with chocolate. "The hell -" he sneers and tries to figure out what she's shoving into his face. One eyebrow quirked up at her forceful offering, then he leans in to curl his lips around not only the bite of chocolate, but her fingers as well. If she's going to play with the big kids...

[likepalegold]

His smile is effusive and directed entirely at Dawn, his whole world narrowed down to pay attention to her. "I admit that I'm slightly at a disadvantage. 1922 is as far as I go and my time was spent on building up the great empire I possessed." He marvels at the cheerful timbre of his voice, given that his life could go down with any of the true tragedies in life, with an ending fit to line the pages of any classic novel. "You seem to know your history quite well!" he praises. "Are the 1920's a particular interest of yours? I have a friend who comes here, at times, Miss Jordan Baker, who might serve to give you some more information about the time. Perhaps even a trip!" he suggests, the wild hint of possibility lingering.

[the_dawnster]

"Well, you know... boys... sports..." Yeah, she's not very successful at cool flirtation. Whereas, Harvey seems to excel at it. And of course she betrays herself by reacting to it. She more than kind of hates that. She wishes she were cool. "You know, because of the sweating and the muscles..."

She's even less cool when he finally takes the mint chocolate from her fingers. Dawn stands there, lips parted, watching Harvey's lips once they leave her fingertips with the chocolate in his mouth. Very few moments in her life have ever rendered Dawn speechless. This is one of them. Harvey should be proud.

"Um..." She's pretty sure everyone in the room can hear her heart beating out of her chest. So much for her infamous bravado.

[the_dawnster]

"Ohhh a great empire sounds like fun. What did you do?" She's curious because an empire in 1922 might be so very different than an empire built up in the new millennium. Time is also very relative to Dawn though. While she might be nineteen years in body, she was only created barely short of a handful of years ago. Dark magic shoving the mystical powers of a key into human form. Her real memories only started when she was created.

She nods enthusiastically. "Oh yeah. I was great at history and english in school. Those were my favorite things to study. And when I was in college I studied the history of Latin with an emphasis in translation of ancient texts, which is really a dead language now... Latin. But you'd be surprised how many old texts are in Latin." Magic books, mainly. Dawn was helpful to her sister in that way. "Then I had to quit school. But I'm still into all that old stuff." Old stuff is totally a technical term.

[buryyouwithmysound]

"'Somewhat' wicked? C'mon, babe. I'm all wicked." Flying up a little higher she took another look. "Go straight. Oh. And I just drink the color red."

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey is frequently smooth personified. "Sweating is sexy?" he asks. Yes, he is toying with her. How will she learn otherwise?

The wicked grin that bends the corners of his mouth probably don't help her speechlessness at all. And yes, he is rather proud of this particular accomplishment. This might be the one time he wishes that ridiculous, headache-inducing power he had for a short time was still active. He might not be able to hear what she's thinking, but from the emotions he'd be getting, he'd have a pretty good idea.

"Is something wrong?" he asks her, as though there hadn't been a semi-sexual encounter just seconds ago.

[roartonrisen]

"Not exactly, plus it's not like they've got the convenient entry locations that I've been so lovingly gifted with," Kieren notes with mild sarcasm. He's grateful to be himself again, happy to not be rabid, but the whole process of getting him to where he is had been...difficult, to say the least. The nightmares don't really go away, either. "I know this sounds cowardly, but maybe we ought to round up anyone outside and find a well-secured place indoors?"