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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[ elena shakes her head quietly at the question. she tugs in a soft breath before she look up at the sky again, her hands propping themselves on the railing. ] The Teleios seasons are weird. The whole year reflects ... a whole day, if that makes sense. So during the winter, it's always night. During the summer, it's always noon. In spring, it's always just after dawn. The fall, it's always just before it. We're in summer, so - no stars. [ ever. ]

And the winter, I've heard, is too cold to be outside, so you don't get to see the stars, anyway.

[ she sighs a bit, because as much as she's met good people there - and reacquainted herself with former relationships she never thought she'd get the chance to - she isn't in any rush to leave. ]

...that sounds like it could be really, really hard. You can't really see the night from the day. How do you have any concept of time? Your circadian rhythm must be shot all to hell unless it's dark enough where you're sleeping but even then. That much sun... all the time... [he shakes his head and releases a breath, glancing over at her.]

So during the winter, it's dark always and too cold. Dangerous. It sounds dangerous either way.

[he smiles over at her a tiny bit at the sound of that sigh. there's some concern in his expression too as he meets her gaze.]

...what?

[ elena tilts her head to the side, because he's right on all counts, of course. her - and everyone else's - circadian rhythm must be shot to all hell, and teleios can be dangerous. in more ways than one, even. she's about to answer when he asks what, and it makes her turn to him with her mouth open, before it closes again. ]

Nothing, it's just ...

[ she grows quiet as she looks out over the water again. ] I'm just wondering what happens when the Door opens again.

[there's a pause as he looks out at the water too, leaning against the railing, shaking his head slightly because he's thought about it too, and--]

You don't want to go back.

[it's said softly. john doesn't really want to go back through either. he has a group of people he needs to look out for even if he walked away from them, even if he left and got drunk. he does have them to watch out for but--

but john doesn't really want to go back either.]

I don't know.

[ elena's voice is equally soft when she answers, her gaze drifting down to her hands. they rest over the railing, fingers resting on top of each other. it's only a moment after she answers a little bit more honestly: ] No. [ caroline is here. bonnie is here. damon and stefan are here. ethan is here.

john is here. ] But it doesn't matter what we want.

[ at least, not where the door is concerned. not until they figure it out. ]

[john looks over at her as her fingers rest on top of the railing, and his eyes burn a little as he looks at her when she goes from I don't know to No like he knows the reasons she goes from one to the other.] You feel like you should want to go back, because this place is just... an in-between. [It's not life. They have to keep moving forward, surviving, it's-- it's what they have to do.

there's a pause before he shakes his head.] It matters to me.

[it does.]

I don't want to go back either.

It's a ship that goes nowhere. [ it's her way of saying that that's exactly how it feels. not that teleios is all that better, in the end. it's an in-between, too. it's a waiting room and then she has to make a choice. she can either choose to move on to this supposed utopia or she can be sent somewhere else. there are a lot of in-betweens and so elena feels like her life is just on pause.

or maybe that's her own doing, too. she looks up at him, knowing it matters to him, like it matters to her. that's not what draws her attention the most, though. ] You don't? [ she would think out of everyone, john would want to go back the most. or maybe just need to. ]

Yeah. It's like a vacation from reality, and it feels real, but... [john folds his arms across his chest, and he lets out a low breath before he ducks his head, shaking it. he bites down on his lip because-- because he has changed here. he has gotten to know her here, and he's opened himself up here in a way he really hasn't back home. it's not just an in-between even if it seems like that's what it is meant for. it's a break, and it can't be permanent with an entire life waiting for them.

john looks up from the darkness of the ocean and the dolphins swimming up through the waves. he meets her gaze slowly in the moonlight, and he shakes his head in answer.] I don't. I know I should want to go back.

I know... I'm responsible, but... I don't know. I really like it here. I like it here with you.

[ elena tilts her head to the side as his voice trails off at that 'but.' ]

But it's not real? [ she wouldn't hold it against him if that's how he felt. it does feel real, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is. it doesn't change they do have an entire life waiting for them on the other side of that door, and they have no way of knowing what this place truly is and how it works.

and she grows quiet at john's answer because it hasn't escaped her notice he is not only responsible, but carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. they're not the same thing. a soft smile touches her lips as she turns to look at him as well, lifting her gaze up from those swimming dolphins and what seems to be a bottomless depth below. ]

I really like it here with you, too.

It's not real. It feels real, but I know it's not. [it can't be. it's a place between times. it's a ship between times and places. there has been plenty of progress on this ship. there's been growth for john, and he has gained relationships with people.

he's gotten to know her, and he can't imagine not knowing her. he really can't. john looks over at her with a soft smile of his own as he leans against the railing, and the smile widens a bit when she repeats it back to him.]

I'm glad you do, too.

[he says the words softly, and he reaches for her hand, locking their fingers together.]

This place feels very, very real. It is real. It's just... not meant to be where we stay.

[ his answer initially makes her chest ache more than it has any right to. it's not as though he isn't right. it's real but it's not. his place is with his family, fighting a shadow war, and her place now is in teleios. being here really doesn't change that. she won't even remember any of this once the door opens and then closes behind her.

elena's gaze lowers down to the water again, for a moment.

suddenly it feels silly, having asked him out here in the first place, but she is very deliberately not accessing any of these thoughts. she knows he wouldn't read her mind without permission, but there's always bits and pieces on the surface she knows he catches without meaning to. ]

No, it's not. [ she allows that, because it's true, and somehow she manages a genuine smile in his direction. (she'll miss them all when she goes.) ] But I'm glad we're all here anyway, for however long we are. [ a comfortable silence follows before she tips her head back to the masquerade's direction. ] We should head back in before people start wondering where we are.

[ where she is. she gives his hand a light squeeze before she lets it go, picking up the skirts of her dress and waiting until they head back inside, the din of noise and music and laughter growing louder with every step she takes. there's still time. ]

party post } { fool and king, ghoul and ghost

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