voyagers | party post } { fool and king, ghoul and ghost

On the evening of the twenty-ninth, the ballroom on the main deck of the boat is decked out in lavish black and gold, thanks to Carol and Sophie, and the assistance of the very strong men they enlisted to help (thank you, boys). It's been a while since Carol has thrown a full out ball, and she liked the chance to stretch her event planning limbs again, even if those attending are mostly the ghost robots in their cater waiter wear.

A soft music is playing over the guests as they enter. As they pass through the threshold, there's a table with simple masks for them to choose from, in case they've forgotten their's. Once they pass through the main archway, they'll find their way to the large dance space where the ghost robot band is sitting, because live music is so much better than a recording, and they actually don't sound half-bad, all things considered. They also take requests, so feel free to tell them that song where you always wondered what it would sound like with a full orchestral backing. There's a large, expansive dance floor in the middle, and you're welcome to get out there and shake your groove thing whenever you see fit.

Tables with food line the far left wall of the room, as well as clusters of tables for the guests to sit when they so choose. There's also an open bar nestled into the far corner, for all your alcoholic needs. There are also plenty of dark corners to slip into, if you don't want anyone to see what you're doing, however the narration suggests watching those dark corners carefully. Rabbit holes lurk in pretty much every shadowed area of the ballroom and while they won't always drop you into a strange location of your choosing, there's a high chance they will. There's probably a high turnover of people arriving back in the ballroom, looking like they've gone five rounds with a bull.

Probably because they have.

The boat seem to want to promote this event as much as possible. While not everyone loves a good ball, some non-attenders may suddenly find themselves in attendance, completely dressed and no idea of how they got there. Trying to leave? Might not go so well either. For some, socializing isn't so much a choice as a punishment, but there are probably plenty of people to help you have a good time.

Or you could go on a trip to Narnia. One never really knows.

[OKAY BALL IS GO sorry I was late getting this up. Rabbit Holes are to be used at your discretion, but if you need suggestions or want me to randomize something for you, just shoot me a PM/private plurk/ping me (

iluvroadrunner6) and I will give you a scenario. Otherwise, mix, mingle and have fun with all the pretty formal wear. o7 Actionspam/prose/whatever floats your boat for this, it was easier to just write up the top part in prose.]

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[john is near the food with the glass of sparkling cider in his hand, and he lifts his eyebrows in amusement when he sees just how much food that connor has managed to pile on to that plate. it reminds him of the feast they'd often have in the lair the first night after a good grocery store run. they'd all fill up their plates with anything fresh after subsisting off of canned goods for days. he has the average appetite for someone his size, but he knows what it is like to be starving and how rare it has been to get anything fresh so he knows how to appreciate food.]

Your plate would not be complete unless you tried one of these.

[he gestures to it with a tiny smirk

but no, really, it is delicious.]

[ connor has always lived a life of privilege. even when they were technically on the run, their mother had saved up enough money to keep them afloat. he's never known what it's like to genuinely starve, save for that year following the end of their world. he'll never take for granted again all the things he never thought twice about - because he didn't have to, because it was given to him on a silver platter so he never had to ask. ]

... I have a feeling you're right. Thanks, man.

[ he smirks over at john before dutifully plucking one of them onto his plate. ]

Y'know, for a creepy ship that seems to be headed nowhere, at least it keeps us well-fed. [ it's a pretty big plus for him. connor has his priorities straight and food happens to be at the very top of that list. ]

You're welcome. It looked like you were pretty serious about that plate of food and missing out on that one would be a terrible loss.

[john picks up another one of them by the toothpick in the center, taking a bite out of it, shaking his head as the taste of it hits him. it's so fresh and full of flavor. lair food can't really get that delicious ever. there's no kitchen in an underground subway station. he smiles a tiny bit in his direction.]

Yeah, it keeps us well-fed and makes it really easy on us. Don't even have to go to the kitchen if we don't want to. The food will just appear out of thin air, already made, exactly what you were craving.

[it's a little creepy, but none of the food is poisonous as far as he can tell. whatever is going on with this ship, it's much deeper than wanting to off them.]

That obvious, huh?

[ he is still very partial to his brother's cooking - seriously, nobody cooks like ethan cooks - but he's a big fan of the selection here. it's obvious the people that put it together did so with care. the smirk stays in place as he looks over at john in commiseration - that's the thing about situations like these. much like chicago, it has a tendency to bring people together when they're dealing with the same problem. ]

You don't trust it either, do you? [ connor would really have to question someone's judgment if they did, honestly. but he senses a similar skepticism in john. ]

A little bit.

[john sounds amused though altogether. food can be really delicious, and he had a good plate of it himself earlier. he leans against the table a bit that carries the food before he looks over at connor, and there's a tiny nod.]

Not really.

I don't trust anything, but the way this ship tries to make people happy, give them what they want so easily. Why?

[ john's question is one worthy of examination, so connor gives it thought.

he doesn't think it sounds strange, to think of the ship as its own entity, perhaps sentient. he comes from a world of rifts. it's not the most far-fetched thing he's ever contemplated to date. ]

Maybe it thinks the happier its 'guests' are, the less they will question things. [ the more they're given things they want, the less they'll want to go back or try to. ]

[john picks up an item of food from the table, popping it into his mouth as he chews and swallows. it tastes delicious.]

That is what I'm afraid of. On the same level, it manages to be openly creepy with floating endlessly through the water with no known destination.

I don't know how people are supposed to completely relax on a ship that runs on its own and has ghosts and holograms hovering around.

Yeah, I hear you.

[ connor's answer is accompanied by a heavy sigh. these are all things he's considered, and the fact john has too is both a comfort and confirmation - the latter of which is not exactly comforting. it means rough waters may be ahead of them. ]

I'm not sure it wants us to trust it. I'm just not sure it wants us to leave, either. [ be it by their own choice or its own - and he has to admit dangling his brothers in front of him is pretty damn good incentive. ]

[john is thinking about that too, about the rough waters that potentially lie ahead of them, of all of them.]

It's playing some game, keeping us between all of these different states. If it doesn't want us to leave, it has to want something from us, right? Is it getting it from us just being here on the ship? Is it taking it while we're not paying attention?

Can't say that I know. [it's just something he wants to look into in case what it wants from them is more than they're willing to give.]

Does anyone?

[ connor smirks wryly in john's direction. they have all, at one point or another, likely asked themselves these questions, or something similar. they've come up with nothing, at least nothing concrete. it's all speculation, as far as they know, and connor can't see them getting any closer to finding the answers. ]

What I do know is we've probably missed the point of this party. [ he sounds amused, but not particularly sorry about it. he'd rather brainstorm than find a dance partner at the moment. ]

[john smirks right back at the sight of that wry smirk on connor's face. he folds his arms across his chest at that before he laughs a little at what he says.]

Yeah, sorry about that. I'm not really... good at partying in a general sense. Can't shut off my head.

[doesn't even think to do so unless someone nudges him in that direction.]

Guess there's not much to go off of without any hints as it is.

Hey, I'm the last person you need to apologize to. I've been wracking my brain trying to find the answers to those questions myself. It helps to know I'm not the only one.

[ he's hoping if there's enough of them, something can be done about that.

connor isn't arrogant enough to believe he could pull something this big off on his own. ]

You are definitely not. Once the party is over, we should all try to get together and figure something out.

[john has no idea that someone will come to do this for them, no idea someone will come with the way to potential answers for all of them.

he has no idea where those answers will lead]

I'm all for that. A few of my brothers are here, and I know they'll want to be a part of it, too.

[ ... yes. a 'few.'

he makes it sound like there's a whole pack and well, there is. hales don't really understand the concept of small numbers. :] ]

party post } { fool and king, ghoul and ghost

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