[ October Event ] The Black Stag Casino

[pumpkinhollow]

**Plain text version here. [Pending - pardon the delay! Plain text version will be created and added within the next 48 hours.]

THE BLACK STAG CASINO

THE LODGE

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild unreality, lapses in memory }

Wake-Up Call

You wake on the morning of October 26th in the most comfortable bed you have ever laid in. Regardless of what accommodations you’ve been used to in the past, no matter how lavish, you cannot remember the last time you felt so perfectly cradled by a mattress or slept at such a perfect temperature. You wake to the sound of a pleasant little chiming sound, repeated over and over until you address it.

You sit up and realize you don’t know where you are.

It’s not that you don’t remember coming here--- in fact, you very much do. Though the action itself is a bit of a haze, you can recall being approached by a stunning woman dressed in all black, with a wide-brimmed hat that had long tassels which concealed most of her face. She handed you a beautifully printed invitation, though you can’t recall the text, just the image of golden antlers and blue flowers on black paper. Then you went home, packed a bag of your things--- clothes, personal items, toiletries, medications, money, things you might need on vacation--- and then when you opened your door, you were standing in a forest. You recall following lights in the distance until you reached a large, ornate wooden door and then---

Well, now you’re here. In a beautiful hotel room decorated in lavish navy and black decor, possibly with others, and there is a ringing sound.

When someone answers it, despite the advent of the speakerphone having yet to occur, the golden handset phone on the desk can be heard at a pleasant volume which everyone in the room can hear. A woman’s voice speaks.

“Welcome to the Black Stag Casino and Lodge!” she says. “This is the wake-up call you ordered when you checked in last night. Just a reminder--- you are visiting us with an all-inclusive package from now until November 4th! All food services and amenities are free with unlimited use, all entertainment is included at no additional cost, a no-cost service to take care of your affairs at home has been added for you, and you will be receiving 50 free casino chips when you visit! The only things that have a cost to them are the shopping areas and additional chips. Check-out starts at 11am on the 4th, and not a moment sooner! If you have any questions, please see our front desk, open 24/7. Also, please be aware that all interpersonal violence is physically impossible outside of the arena, and no weapons are permitted inside the lodge. Enjoy your stay!”

And enjoy it you must, it would seem. When you look out your windows, you will see the misty pine forest sprawling out endlessly in every direction as far as the eye can see. While you’ll have an opportunity to verify it later should you choose to, you likely already have a sense that there is no way to leave. But at least there seems to be plenty of ways to make the best of things. Time to take a look around?

Amenities

The Black Stag Casino’s lodge is well-outfitted with only the most indulgent of luxuries; the beds are just a start! Each room has a pair of enormous king-sized beds with plush bedding and always the exact right amount of pillows. Rooms can each house between 1 and 4 people. (Please feel free to check out and add yourself to the room assignment chart as you see fit. It should be noted that only those chosen by Dahlia Leeds or Prince Aster are permitted to stay in the VIP suites.)

The bathrooms are equally luxurious, each with remarkably advanced independent plumbing, full-sized bottles of shampoo, fluffy towels and even monogrammed black bathrobes customized to each guest. A handy card informs you that you can even keep the robe when you leave, which is wild.

Each room also has a balcony overlooking the expansive lodge grounds and surrounding forest. The views are eerie, but beautiful in their way.

And of course, each room has several copies of a map of the resort, showing the locations of its underground shopping promenade, numerous performance stages, always-open front desk, lavish spa, buffet, restaurants, bars, and expansive casino floor. There’s also something out behind the lodge called the “arena,” though its purpose is unclear just from the map.

Finally, you will also find a phone number and impressive menu for room service, whose prices have been concealed. A card is attached reminding you that anything you ordered is included in your package. Truly, all expenses are paid. If this place were not clearly the work of a demon, it might be a dream vacation. But considering that anyone in the know could easily clock this as the work of a demon representing indulgence and consumption, the message is clear.

Still, perhaps it can’t hurt to enjoy it a little bit. You are trapped here for a while, after all.

THE CASINO

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, violence, potential character death }

Game Tables

The first thing you’ll see if you enter the casino floor is, of course, a wide array of game tables run by dealers both humanoid and monstrous. However, the vast majority of dealers appear to be… the exact same woman. Specifically, a woman in a tight black dress and long black gloves, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with tassels that conceal most of her face. They each wear a gold name tag just below the plunging neckline of their dresses, and each and every one of them reads “Daphne.” (On rare occasions, the observant watcher may be able to catch one of these women phasing into a pair of mirrored copies, indicating that these are all very literally the same person.)

The games are all fairly standard casino fare. Betting is simple--- if you win, your bet is doubled. If you lose, your bet is forfeit.

Casino Rules

Each guest starts with 50 free chips and is responsible for keeping track of them on their own. Chips cannot be used for anything outside of the casino and must be redeemed at the prize counter. More chips may be purchased with Brass at a rate of 50 chips for 200 Brass. Chips cannot be redeemed for Brass once purchased and cannot be transferred or pooled between guests. Chips are not transferable between players.

A guest may bet as much as they’d like on each game, which does not have to occur within a thread (although some should, because that’s what we’re here for!) and can play until they run out of chips or wish to stop. Each game will use dice rolls (or a roulette wheel) to determine winnings, which means that all casino games rely entirely on chance to win. You are on your honor not to fudge results! We have four casino games that we have simplified for text-based RP:

Blackjack

Roll a D10. Rolls 2-9 are number cards of any suit. A roll of 10 can be a 10 number card or any face card (Jack, Queen, King) valued at 10. A roll of 1 represents an Ace, which can be valued at either 1 or 11, per the player’s preference. After the first roll, players can decide if they wish to “hit” (roll again and add the value of the additional roll to their previous) or “stand” (abstain and stick with their current value), with a goal of getting to a total of 21 or as close as possible without going over.

Players may continue to roll until they either decide to stand, or until they “bust” (exceed 21). A dealer will roll against them, which the player can either roll themselves OOCly on behalf of the dealer or recruit another player to roll for. Whoever gets closest to 21 without busting is the winner. Players who are able to “get Blackjack” by rolling to 21 exactly get triple their bet!

Craps

Actual Craps is somewhat complex and not conducive to RP, so this is an extremely simplified version. Roll 2D6. This value will determine the “point” for that round. From there, you will have 7 rolls to attempt to roll the exact same value. If you fail to do so within 7 rolls, you lose and your bet is taken by the house. If you manage to roll the point, you win. If you at any point roll “snake eyes” (a pair of 1s), you automatically lose, unless it is the first roll to determine the point, in which case you may roll again.

Poker

Due to the numerous steps in Poker and the fact that it is meant to be played with the other people at the table as opposed to the dealer, most of a Poker game will be done ICly or handwaved.

Poker requires a minimum of 2 or a maximum of 5 guests and D20s. Place bets to enter, roll your D20 once, then keep the number to yourself. Based on your roll, determine whether you wish to “call” (double your existing bet for the opportunity to win) or “fold” (forfeit). Players who folded will not be eligible to win. All players who called will then reveal the number they rolled on the d20. The one who rolled the highest wins. Rather than doubling their own bet, however, the winner receives all money bet by other players, including those that folded.

Roulette

The Black Stag Casino, like most casinos, has a roulette wheel in the center of the room. However, when you approach, you see that it is not like a traditional roulette wheel.

Instead, all the tiles that should be red are blue, and marked with gold lettering that reads “WIN!” and the black tiles all have gold text on them that reads… well, each one is something different.

The rules are simple. Place a bet of your liking and spin the wheel. If you land on a “WIN” tile, then your chips are doubled as usual. If you land on any other tile, you are subject to the effect of that tile. You may interpret it however feels right to you, and one of these effects even supersedes the “no violence” rule! SPIN HERE!

Most Dangerous Game

On the far wall of the casino from the main door, you can see an exit onto a large balcony with seating overlooking what appears to be an enclosed area of the forest, marked as the “arena” on your map. Beside the doors, you can also see a bookie working at a betting counter. Above the counter, you can see the name of the game, which is simply listed in a stark font as “PREY”.

Additionally, you can occasionally hear a crackling audio that sounds a bit like an old intercom making announcements asking that various people (usually two names, sometimes more) to report to the arena booking counter. There are times listed for “matches” on the wall with people’s names listed, and you can place bets on each “match.” The bookie doesn’t care much to tell you what the premise of the game is, just that he’s the one you can sign up to play with if you want to participate, and that there’s a pretty significant windfall for winning.

- HOW TO PLAY -

- PREY -

Any Pumpkin Hollow resident can play the game in the role of Prey, either by deliberately signing up or by ICly “drafted” to play against their will. (OOCly players would still be volunteering their characters, it’s just an opportunity for you to force them to play if they might not want to.) ICly, the Predator that they are matched with is chosen by Aster with the aim of being an interesting and well-matched fight, though the Predator does get some input. (Again, OOCly this is decided by players entirely.)

Prey are entitled to any weapons or tools they request, but have no input on the environment. Their goal is to escape, incapacitate, or kill their Predator. There will be at least one escape route per arena layout whose location and escape conditions are determined by the Predator. The winner is determined by a combination of dice rolls and player communication.

Prey who win their match-ups will receive a significant prize--- a flat prize of 200 chips, plus 50% of all bets made against them. (Bets from NPC demons will be determined on a D100 and PC bets will be added in after, if there are any.) Prey who lose get 50% of all bets made in their favor, but are dead by normal Pumpkin Hollow rules for the rest of the day. No death certificate is needed for deaths occurring in PREY. Sending Stones do not function inside the arena. No other guests may enter the arena, even as ghosts.

In the PREY Betting thread below, it is the Prey’s responsibility to set up a top-level for their match-ups betting pool. This is done by simply replying to the betting thread with the names of the Prey and Predator as the comment’s title. (ex. [Prey name] vs. [Predator name])

- PREDATORS -

Predators are VIP guests specifically brought in by Aster for this purpose, who signed up to participate via a special character claim. No more can be added. Their goal is simple: to kill their prey, by any means necessary. Predators are given some leeway on who is chosen as their prey and are provided with any weapons or tools they desire. They are also allowed to have the arena magically modified to their liking. However, they cannot modify their environment during the match unless that is specifically one of their existing powers, and they must install at least one escape method into their arena. Predators who die are only dead for a few hours before Aster sets them right, and they are not rewarded or penalized for winning, as they are already being rewarded just for being here by Aster (who has promised them each some sort of wish) and are simply here to work.

The Predators available to play against are below the cut. The Predator is responsible for the starters for their match-ups in the PREY thread below so that they can set up their arena, unless otherwise discussed.

Predator Options

Acrid || Risk of Rain
Nama/Anri || acrid_rain

Allyin Kailius || Original Character
Yarrow || allyin

The Butcher || Malevolent
Meghan || sometimesfortissimo

Brooke Augustine || InFamous: Second Son
QV || helltopave

Chase Collins || The Covenant
Dee || bastardofipswich

Dahlia Leeds || Pumpkin Hollow
Rose || thethirteenthchild

David Xanatos || Gargoyles
Batya || still_got_the_edge

Fenrir || Original Character
Kalineh || odinsbane

FUTURE || SAYER
GladHatter || for_humanitys_future

The Goose || Untitled Goose Game
Jesse || a_anser_horribilis

Hol Horse || JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Sentis || emperorcard

Itazura Unmei || Final Fantasy XIV
constellation || bloodyscalesemptyheart

Jack Spicer || Xiaolin Showdown
Kai || howiruletheworld

Julia Montauk & Trevor Herbert || The Magnus Archives
Blue || tapetumlucidum

Leshy || Inscryption
Harvey || scrybeofbeasts

Mary || Identity V
Mira || predation

Max Jagerman || Nerdy Prudes Must Die
Rose || whowillprayforyou

Ned Low || Our Flag Means Death
Rin || forthelulz

Nikola Orsinov || The Magnus Archives
Rose || dancetheworldnew

King Oberon & Puck/Robin Goodfellow || Folklore
Guildenstern & Bash || oberlord & tailorcries

Spamton G. Spamton || Deltarune
Harvey || nowsyourchance

- SPECTATING & BETTING -

In order to bet, please make a comment in the appropriate betting thread stating which character is placing the bet, how many chips they are betting, and who they are betting on to win the match. Please do not use meta knowledge to influence your bets. If you bet correctly, your bet will be doubled as usual.

To spectate a match, grab a seat on the balcony overlooking the arena! The arena may be enclosed or have scenery that blocks the view, but not to worry--- two large magical screens will be tracking both the Predator and the Prey. You cannot communicate with anyone inside the arena.

Prize Counters

When you’ve earned enough chips, there are some exceptional prizes available at the prize counter! Choose from any of the following options:

Cheap Souvenir - 50 Chips
Some kind of weird junk. Can be nearly anything you like, within reason. Fuzzy blue dice, a bag of weird candy, a poorly made trophy, a Black Stag Casino branded pen, or a very ugly stuffed animal are all great options.

Bottle of Generous Garlic Powder OR Vanilla Extract - 100 Chips
A small bottle containing seemingly infinite high quality garlic powder for cooking or vanilla extract for baking, one or the other (you can get both but you must buy each separately). Not for the faint of heart, as in order for the bottle to retain its endless quality, you must always use its contents to excess each time you cook with them. If you follow the recipe, you will find them empty the next time you reach for the bottle.

Decanter of Endless Spirits - 200 Chips
A stunning crystal decanter that will contain an endless supply of an alcoholic beverage of the pourer’s choice. It is always of the finest quality. Be warned that those who drink from it will feel a slight temptation to overindulge.

Deerbone Dice - 300 Chips
A pair of 6-sided gambling dice made of deer bone, with the dots inlaid with gold. They feel very lucky. Anyone who owns these could add +3 to the result of any dice rolls they perform in any context for the duration of the game.

Silvertongue Amulet - 400 Chips
The wearer of this silver pendant would find themselves permanently more persuasive whenever wearing it, and would find it easier to get people to do things for them or give them information. It works even on the most powerful supernatural creatures, though the success may vary on demons, elder gods, or goddesses somewhat.

Infernal Service - 500 Chips
A ticket promising the services of one infernal servant under Aster, for any task that does not directly conflict with Aster’s interest in a non-negotiable way. Which Infernal Servant will be at Aster’s discretion and dependent upon availability.

Unholy Talisman - 700 Chips
A protective ward in an array of designs that will allow the wearer to resist the influence or workings of Nyarlathotep. Would only help with non-physical/mental effects, physical damage would not be preventable.

Fallen Angel Investor - 1000 Chips
A certificate indicating that Aster will personally fund an Entrepreneur career, paying for you to open a business of your choice. The funded business will automatically be a Level 3 business and there are absolutely no catches aside from Aster being a little nosy about how numbers are.

THE EXTRAS

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Potential for overeating, heavy alcohol use, mental manipulation }

Food & Drink

Considering it's Aster’s specialty, you know that the food has to be good. And the staff is more than willing to identify everything in the food! It’s not human, they promise. (For once it’s genuinely not. Besides, lying was Mendel’s game. The Dark Feast prefers to skirt around the truth instead.)

There are two main places to eat. The first is a high end, luxurious restaurant with rich and well-made food, some of which is unique and a bit experimental. It’s the finest money can buy, and it’s all yours for free. A great place for a date! Never tried caviar? You can get it here.

The second is a buffet. The food here is also fantastic, though with significantly less bells and whistles. It’s all hot, fresh, and widely varied, and it’s never empty.

Additionally, there is also a stunning bar, whose bar-top is carved from dark wood and whose decor incites a close, intimate feel. There is a VIP room that intends to be specifically for Aster’s guests, the Predators and his family members, though others can join them if invited.

It’s worth noting that each of these places make it fairly challenging to stop consuming, and time seems to pass strangely in them, becoming easily lost. It takes a bit of willpower to leave them, and ordering room service doesn’t seem to really circumvent this problem, as you’re still left wanting more once you’re finished. However, the effect seems fairly mild--- except in the buffet. It is extremely easy to get trapped in the buffet, overindulging in the food there and losing hours and hours of time, and once you go the first time, you feel compelled to go back each time you get hungry. Overconsumption is Aster’s game, but it seems particularly potent there.

Shopping

On the bottom floor of the lodge, which is underground, there is a sprawling indoor shopping area designed to look like an outdoor promenade in a fancy commercial district, with stone shop fronts and gold-lettered signs and tasteful street-lamps lining the herringbone-pattern brick walkway. There are a fair few shops down there, some of which don’t seem completely compliant with the time period Pumpkin Hollow exists in. The shops are as follows:

Wolf’s Clothing: A high end boutique with stylists who can put together the perfect outfit. Everything is magically tailored to fit the wearer perfectly.

Quarry’s Demise: A shop that sells powerful magical armor and weaponry from the mainland. Purchase will be sent to the buyer’s home directly, as weapons are not allowed in the casino.

Flames of Yvelas: A shop selling powerful magical items and potions that you can’t get on the island. Combat products will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Complete Sustenance Market: a food market selling high end specialty products and health foods, many of which are not available in Pumpkin Hollow. Perishables will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Nightingale’s: A well-to-do bakery with fancy cakes and artisanal bread. Also serves coffee and tea. Occasionally you can see the baker, who is evidently a large wolf-monster with open throat lacerations. This does not seem to impact the quality of the product, or the sanitation of the kitchen. Apparently he just looks like that.

Buckskin Spirits and Liquors: A liquor store with everything imaginable.

Spacetime Super Store: an interdimensional clothing store that has clothing from other time periods, ranging from medieval to futuristic.

Ye Olde Pokemart: A shop that sells Pokemon supplies. It has a bakery counter in the corner that sells Pokemon-safe desserts called PokePuffs.

DreamThrift: a thrift store of some sort that seems to sell gadgetry, decorations, or mundane items from various worlds and time periods. Much of it is middling quality.

Spirit Halloween: Exactly what it says on the tin. How did this get here?

Ennui Perfumery: A perfume boutique that sells beautifully bottled perfumes named after abstract concepts, whose fragrances somehow smell exactly the way one expects the concept to smell and also evokes the feeling of that concept.

Price Guide

The specific items found in each shop are up to players, within reason, and are categorized within a set of broad categories. You may use your best judgment to determine the price of something. If the mods receive a massive influx of price check questions, we will explode, so please use the price menu to the best of your ability and reserve questions about pricing for things that you truly have no frame of reference for. Things are expensive because all of them will be things you cannot get back home!

Follow this link to view the price chart!

Entertainment

In addition to shopping and games, there are plenty of other fun things to do at the lodge. You could take in a show! There are magicians, acrobats, musical performances, and a stage that is dedicated to a 24-hour cabaret that becomes distinctly adults-only after dark. There’s also a spa where you can get massages, a magically-heated hot tub and swimming pool, and a dance hall. Take a break from gambling and check out the other indulgences available.

Grounds

Attempting to exit the casino is entirely possible, but not advisable, as you'll be met with a long and grueling journey through an endless woods full of increasingly violent predators and thick fog. Conveniently, however, once you turn back, you'll find the path very easily traversed and the lodge only a minute or two's walk away, even if you've been traveling through the woods for hours.

CHECK-OUT

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A }

We Hope You Enjoyed Your Stay!

On November 4th at 11am, you will be allowed at last to exit as normal. But will you want to? Perhaps some of you will struggle with the temptation not to extend your stay. Remain a while more. Indulge, consume, obey.

Or not! We hope to see you back soon!

Comments

fever, ota.

[abhorrently]

misty step - around.

No matter where Fever finds herself in this place, her tension doesn't ease. It's not the demonic nature of the indulgence that unsettles her - it's how close it feels to that damned ship, as if it simply morphed into a new cage around them. Just because it isn't the case doesn't mean it doesn't feel like it, and so she stays alert. Physically impossible interpersonal violence - they might as well have drained her again, left her weak, for how invasive it feels. But smart, because otherwise things would have immediately turned ugly. For now, she'll just have to hope she spontaneously develops the ability to cause pain with her mind alone for how the staff get looked at.

So, one has to pass time regardless, and she can hold distaste for their host while still seeing what's out there. Trying out the hot tubs at the spa to see how comfortable they are, looking at some of the shops in the promenade (what, she's not going to bypass an armorer), wandering the casino looking at games she doesn't know the rules of. Anything, really, to get an understanding of what this place is and how it works.

And all the while, keeping her eye out for those she knows, if they seem to be in any danger. All the while, checking what doors are there, seeing if any of them lead anywhere else than the forest. There was a way in, there has to be a way out - she refuses to think otherwise. Some of the doors she's trying aren't going to budge, but that won't stop her from making the attempt.

synaptic static - bar. (limit 3.)

It's a bad idea to lower one's reactions and inhibitions in an unfamiliar place. Very bad idea, one could say. Which is exactly why she's doing it at night, instead of fighting the inclinations that tug at self control. Why not. This place is eating at what of her mind remains, making her feel too exposed, too on edge. For a little bit, then, why not feel less.

Humming under her breath, it stops when she hears footsteps, and she turns her head to see who's decided they also wish to forego sleep.

"Come to join, or just passing through?"

stoneskin - room 103. (for Zivia and Degas.)

So, she's got roommates again. At least she knows them, and they didn't come in while she was sleeping to threaten her life, and no one even needs to worry about who is sleeping in what bed, because Fever's barely sleeping as it is. She has to stay alert, and maybe take a nap or two when Zivia and Degas are gone. It'll all work out. It'll end. If the devil didn't lie to them. And in the meantime, nothing will catch them off guard.

The tension that fills her is no more at ease in the room than it is outside of it, and it's not uncommon that even when she returns to be in the room, she'll be on the balcony, eyes set on the mist and forest outside. At some point, she procured several candles to put out there, and the time of day determines if they're lit. If she's staying up, she might as well practice a few things in the meanwhile.

polymorph - wildcard.

[custom starters, anything not mentioned, you had an idea you want to go for - it's all good here. PM me if you need anything, otherwise we ball.]

misty step

[lovethyneighb_or]

They're several days in when she sees one of the priests from the Temple shuffling towards the casino. He has something gripped tight in one hand; it's unclear what exactly it is. Some paperweight, some bookend. Whatever it is, it's black, metal, and heavy-looking. He looks gaunt and even paler than usual.

He's going straight for one of the most obnoxious of the slot machines, a flinty look in his unmoving stare.

[abhorrently]

There's something about his gaze, his pallor, his stride that catches her attention, and she follows him. Not hard to hide the sound of her footsteps under the sounds of the casino, the infernal decadence. And so she stays behind enough to be less noticed, but with no less of a view of what, perhaps, he may be doing.

She's only known the man in passing, but the impression she has of him doesn't quite match the attitude he has now.

[lovethyneighb_or]

He stops in front of the machine. He isn't even looking at it.

Then the weight bursts against the glass covering one of the wheels, the window exploding into a fog of spiderwebbing cracks with a crater punched through the middle. The movement had been convulsive. The sort of wide swing you expect from a trebuchet. The sort of fury you expect from a bull. It seems out of place on a frame like his, gnarled with exhaustion and age, not just pale but ashen, like there was a fire there once. Apparently, a fire still, buried underneath. He wears it well.

Mulcahy swings again, and all but the edges of the window shatter apart.

Bar (Before her prey run)

[redlightgreenlight]

"To join."

In a manner of speaking, she will decline any drinks, unwilling to give anything to Aster if she can help it.

"I noticed you've been on edge."

From a rather larger distance in fact, so in tune she is with Fever these days that it's a simple and easy thing to feel what she feels from anywhere in the Casino should she listen hard enough.

[abhorrently]

"On edge? That's good, actually. If I wasn't on edge, I'd be taking up so much space."

Fever gestures with the hand that isn't holding her glass of wine, illustrating her point.

"Not that this place isn't big enough to take up space in. But it's still a smaller pen than we're used to."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis tips her head, fixing Fever with a look that says she doesn't believe her.

"A nicer cage in some ways, or at least it would be if Aster weren't involved. Nonetheless, you know you can talk to me."

They still haven't fully discussed the gala either, though perhaps now is not the time.

synaptic static

[nothingbadeverhappensto]

"Neither. Playing designated driver today."

In a not terribly literal sense, given they don't have cars or get to go home at the end of the day here. Also, he's completely ready to admit that it's for his own peace of mind as much as anyone else's safety. He doesn't trust himself to drink in a place like this. Too easy to do what so many of the others seem to be doing, though he thinks that in the least judgmental way he can.

"Hope it's okay if I sit with you anyway, though. 'S good to see you again."

[abhorrently]

"Always, Leon. This place is dangerous - we can keep an eye out for each other."

How good her eye is when soaked in wine, who can say. But she's still focused, just bright eyed while the rest of her is more relaxed.

"What's 'designated driver'? Is that another one of those casino games? I don't understand most of them, or how to play. Don't think I played cards much even when i remembered things."

[nothingbadeverhappensto]

Leon nods, glad she's on the same page, and settles down on the barstool next to her.

"Oh, it's a term for someone in a group of people going out drinking who stays sober to make sure everyone else gets home safe at the end of the night." He shrugs, leaning an elbow on the bar. "Not sure we'll need it here, but it pays to be cautious."

He pauses, then, and something Fever said suddenly sinks in.

"Wait. When you remembered things?"

synaptic static - bar.

[forcebondings]

Rey couldn't just stand around forever, glaring at things. Eventually, she had to at least try to blend in. She had no intentions of drinking any alcohol, but surely there would be other options?

So she took a seat, eyes roaming over what was on offer. It was hard, though, she was still so new and she had no idea what was and wasn't alcohol. So unfortunately, Rey was startled when she was asked the question and didn't really know how to respond. "I, ah. I'm trying to figure out what is and isn't alcohol. I don't want to drink it, but I am thirsty." Which was putting it mildly. No one could survive on the Force alone.

At least not so far as she knew.

[abhorrently]

"Smart choice."

The bartender, seeming to anticipate when Fever's eyes flick over to them, brings a glass of ice water, perfectly clear cubes clinking against each other to set before Rey.

"In case you're worried, nothing here is poisoned. Not in a traditional sense. It'd be terribly inhospitable to harm one's guests, after all."

And ruin the idea of feeding his power. This place reminds her too much of a certain devil mixed with her own experiences, but part of the generosity comes from a place of security. They can't harm him. Why not be pleasant?

[forcebondings]

"Thanks..?" Rey's voice trailed off. She expected that most people would encourage her to let go of her hang-ups and try some of the liquor on display, but she just couldn't do that.

Not yet. Maybe not ever.

And her eyes went wide at the glass of water. It would never cease to amaze her that so many places had access to clean, cold, fresh water all the time. She tried to not seem too eager as she took hold of the glass and brought it to her mouth, taking a long mouthful. It was deliciously cold.

Setting the glass down, she turned to her helper. "Thank you. I hadn't even thought to ask for water which probably sounds silly." She smiled sheepishly, embarrassed a bit by not considering that an option.

"But other stuff might be poisoned in other ways," she asked, eyes wide. "Why'd they do that? It doesn't make any sense."

Synaptic Static

[daemoniumexmachina]

The question is clearly out of Fever's mouth before she registers who is joining her at the bar, black wingtip shoes and a gold tip on the base of his cane tapping the herringbone wood floor.

"I was looking for you, actually," he answers calmly, sitting at the bar beside her. He raps his knuckles on the counter and the bartender produces an Old Fashioned for him within literal seconds. "Fever, was it?"

[abhorrently]

A few things hit her at once, the combined power of which breaks through any loss of tension and makes her feel close to sober again, like dunking her head into ice water. She's out of her league, unable to fight, underdressed, and the master of this place has been looking for her which is a form of scrutiny that no one wants. The flash of awareness is inevitable, can't be hidden, and she hopes, she prays, that somehow she can extricate herself from this.

At the least, if she can't, she'll claim sole responsibility. If Aster's domain is taking what isn't yours, she'll take the blame, and see him try to circumvent the laws of his own power if he wants to refute it.

"That's correct, my lord. Forgive my lack of manners - I've been lost in thought. To what do I owe such an honor?"

Gods fucking damn it all, she knew it was a bad call to drink. The way it weighs on the reflexes, loosens the tongue. In this one's house.

[daemoniumexmachina]

Aster chuckles, patting her shoulder heartily before setting the hand onto the bar. "Calm down! I'm hardly here to bite your head off. I follow the rules I set," Aster assures her. "I just wanted to tell you how incredibly impressed I am with that little stunt you pulled earlier. Manipulation and misdirection in the house of manipulation and misdirection. And it worked! It was so funny I nearly choked on my drink."

misty step

[hadnoright]

Daisy finds Fever in the hot tub. It's hard to say if it's by chance as she comes to try and relax of her own accord, or if she's seeking Fever out specifically, but it hardly matters much.

She exhales as she sinks into the water. "Your head feel like it's gonna explode too? More than usual, I mean."

[abhorrently]

"I take it this entire place disquiets you for good reason as well."

She has her head tilted back, eyes shut, trying to make the muscles in her neck relax.

"Yeah. I took my medicine and it still hurts. Can't pinpoint it." Fever exhales, knowing she can't complain too much. "You holding up passably?"

Not well. Could either of them be well here?

[hadnoright]

"Disquiets is a word for it. Probably would've gone with 'freaks me the hell out'." Her hackles are up constantly; not a pleasant feeling, even for someone who spent so long like that in the past. "Only thing worse than the Hunt in my head. Is things that can stop it."

Didn't even have the decency to find a way to make it shut up. Just lock it in. Ugh. She runs her hands back through her hair and tries to settle.

"I'm— managing. Could be worse. Haven't been roomed with some arsehole I hate or anything. Small mercies."

Wildcard after your wildcard on my wildcard

[blindwatchersees]

About a week and a half into November, Sheogorath knocks on Fever's door, early in the morning.

[abhorrently]

She gets the door, confusion melting into pleasant surprise when she sees who it is and letting him into the apartment.

"What brings you to my door so early?"

[blindwatchersees]

“A doctor and an excellent set of surgery equipment. Those are referring to the same thing, mind.”

Polymorph - please turn Hawk into a toad

[notinflictthem]

He messages her on the sending stone ahead, after his talk with Dahlia. It's quiet and tense, and Hawk still doesn't know if he feels ready for this talk, for anything that's being asked of him. It's not like he's built for this. Hawk is a blunt moral instrument, and Fever's situation is a Stradivarius that'll explode into splinters if looked at funny.

But he's here, and he's brought coffee, and he knocks on the door with his knuckles.

[abhorrently]

When she hears Hawkeye's voice on the other side, there's a pause that she can't recover from fast enough to make it nothing. The shock of it stops her in her tracks, but she eventually remembers how to speak. Agrees to meet with him in the room - Degas and Zivia are elsewhere, and it's not like they won't knock. And then paces the balcony like a caged animal, trying to not let her mind take a knife to her nerves.

A knock on the door. But no sound of a key.

Somehow, Fever crosses the room, makes herself open the door, meet his eyes, and step back to let him in. Despite everything, there's a subtle change in her expression when she sees him - like she's waiting for herself to wake up, to blink and find that this is some cruel demonic prank playing on what she wants. The door shuts, and it seems so loud.

Contained. That's a good word for her energy. Holding herself in check, waiting. What does she say, how does one even begin?

"You brought two cups."

Her voice is soft, almost disbelieving of that fact.

[notinflictthem]

"Last time I checked you still had a mouth and still drank fluids, so I figured it was a safe bet," he quips back as he places the cup in her hand. He sits himself in the voyeur's chair in the corner of the room, holding his coffee laced between his hands to give them something to do. He waits until Fever is settled, or at least as settled as she seems to be able to get. No wonder, huh.

"I don't want you to- to write it off or tell me it's okay for what I'm about to say next. Alright? I want to say I'm sorry for being an ass when you were telling me about... all of that. For the mixed messages and- you know."

Kissing her afterwards, which was as foolhardy as a scientist testing if Dioxygen difluoride would in fact explode this time when touched. It could only really end one way.

"Just had to get that out there first."