lostcarnival | ⇨ THE MASQUERADE

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⇨ THE MASQUERADE

Who: Everyone! Attendance is mandatory.
When: Late Day 65
Where: The Celebration
What: The Masquerade arrives, and so does the carnival's enemies. For more info, check out the Draculas 101.
Warnings: Further party hell. Also, vampire violence, mind control, etc.

THE HOST & THE HORDE↴

The time of the Masquerade arrives. You've been given free reign of the place up till now, but a few hours before the party commences the Host will inform you that your presence will be required, and will assist you (forcibly, if need be) to sort out any last minute costuming concerns you might have if you've left it until now. When masks and outfits are sorted, you'll be left to your own devices until you are summoned on the evening of Day 65.

The Masquerade will start off normally - relative to everything else in this place, at least. Everyone in the Celebration will be called in for this event, centered in a grand hall with side rooms offered to those that need them for whatever reasons might come up. The food and drink is especially ambrosia-esque this evening, and the music will stir your soul, even if you're not usually a music person. Enjoy it if you can - the peace won't last.

► MASKS: Though the masks seemed only mundane before, once within the Masquerade atmosphere, they will magically begin obscuring people's identities beyond what a normal mask should be able to do. When a person is wearing one, it would be supernaturally difficult to figure out who they are - maybe you forget what their voice should sound like, or maybe the other details escape you. Of course, it's possible to figure out if you look for it, based on general shapes and personality traits, but unless you know someone well it could be a challenge. Of course, you can just take your mask off and remove the enchantment entirely - though the Host will hassle you if they notice you going without. Stop ruining the party!

► TEMPTATION: Though it's felt easy to be whisked away by the draw of pleasure and luxury during the rest of the week, that feeling will seem to come to a head at the actual party. If you are aware of what needs to be resisted then it's possible to fight back and ignore it, but more than ever it feels all too easy to just dance your life away. Nobody seems to be dying from it, at least, or 'burning out' any faster as a result - it's mostly just extremely distracting from other concerns. Like vampires, for instance.

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE↴
It's during the latter half of the party that things will start to go bad. Though it will go unseen by the carnival, the Masquerade has gained an additional set of guests - the vampire's of the demon lord that has been chasing them for the last several months. The Host doesn't discriminate, and anyone is welcome to attend the Celebration, provided they don't start a fight.

Right. About that.

► THE KINDRED: The vampires don't like to play fair, which means that they are going to be attacking with stealth and trickery - taking advantage of the way that the party has dulled the alertness of many of the carnival's workers. They'll be using that lack of inhibition to lure individuals into places they can be attacked or turned in private - their primary goals are to capture the Supervisors and to turn as many of the Ringmaster's workers as possible before escaping back to their dimension. Some of their targets will be gone before anyone has a chance to notice.

Remembering that they will be avoiding big public confrontations, so if anyone starts one of those it will probably by the carnival members striking back. This is going to wear on the Host's patience extremely quickly.

► COLD IRON: Oh, right, and they are definitely bringing iron weapons - as pure as they could get. They'll have things like iron collars or shackles to try to trap people with, as well as iron daggers and guns with iron bullets. They'll have to be on the down low with, but they are going to exploit that weakeness as much as possible. Those that have only been in the carnival a few months will mostly just feel discomfort at the touch of it - as if they are touching something that is slightly too hot or too cold. Veterans that have been around for years will find its touch to be burningly cold - the type of temperature that would threaten to destroy flesh after prolonged contact. Those that have been here for up to three years will take it the worst. See the Transformations page for more details!

► TURNING THE TABLES: Being turned is a mixture of pleasure and pain, and is often hard for mortals to mentally reconcile as it happens to them. Being drained by these vampires is simultaneously impossibly satisfying and extremely terrifying - once they've started in on your, the way it overwhelms your mind and body can make it nearly impossible to stop them without help. Once you are dead or dying, they will feed you their blood - at which point your body will go through a painful transformation as the demon spirit takes its place inside of you and your dead body is violently resurrected.

As soon as you wake up, freshly changed, the bloodlust will set it - it will be extremely hard to control, and at first all you will think about is wanting to sate that hunger. Combined with your sire having direct control if your mind through your blood connection, new vampires will be mostly incapable of doing anything but following the whims of the rest of the vampire pack and seeking nourishment. This blood lust will begin to fade after they've fed. Killing isn't necessary to feed, but it can be hard to stop yourself, as a neonate vampire.

► CLOSING TIME: Before the party is officially over, the Host will have had enough. Before you can pursue all of the vampires or take back the people they've stolen, the lot of them will have escaped back to their dimension, and the Host will have kicked the entire carnival out for participating in so much violence. If you want to make any final moves before you go, this is the time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a. during the party
[ Viktor is wearing a charming raven mask for the event, along with a simple black and white suit combo. His mask, sporting hundreds of black feathers and sequins, seems to make his usually beautiful blue eyes beady. His movements, despite being drunk, seem a bit more calculated.

He seems... flighty, in a different sense of the word. Hovering around people without saying a word, just observing rather than intruding as per the norm. It's odd. ]

b. turning the tables

[ He's been turned. He was caught off guard while he was trying to make an escape through the far right corridor. He'd been pinned to the wall, and in a mix of pleasure and pain that he wasn't even sure was humanely possible, it had happened. His eyes, once a beautiful blue that he spent most of his life reciting compliments on, narrowed, slitted temporarily, then flashed between a yellow and red.

When he comes back from the haze, when he reopens his eyes, slumped against a wall, all he can think about is blood. Is doing the same thing to someone else that just happened to him. Someone... else. His eyes flick around excitedly, and yet nervously. Deep down he knows this is wrong, so wrong, but he can't help it. His body is acting on impulse and he can't help the devilish smile that creeps up, usually reserved for only one person. ]

[ Somebody give the poor magician a fricken Gateorade.

Because turning one vampire into a bird, helping out a few people by sending them places via mirrors, and setting a few vampires' coattails on fire has tired out Strange more than he wants to admit. He stumbles into a nearby hallway, almost empty except for Viktor and just pauses for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He's still wearing his mask as he mops his brow with a handkerchief, trying to catch his breath for a moment before going right back out there to help more people escape.

And that's when Strange realizes oh hey, he's not alone. There's somebody else here. He gives Viktor a small little smile and a nod of his head before saying, ]

I like your mask.

[ At any other time, Viktor would have gushed. He probably would have basked in the compliment and struck up a wonderful conversation about something or another. But not this time. This time, all he could focus on was the closeness, the warmth of a body near his. His cells felt jittery, like they were on fire. ]

Thank you [ He manages to say, but it sounds strained, odd. He bites at his bottom lip, which probably should be a bad sign. ] ...Who are you?

Oh, terribly sorry. [ Strange pauses for a moment to remove his mask, pushing it up onto the top of his head. ] I am Jonathan Strange. And you are?

[ someone a bit worrying, that much is obvious. There's something odd about the man's voice. It seems...different some how. Perhaps he's just feeling odd but having been attacked already, there's no harm in being paranoid. Strange can't help but give Viktor a little frown as he waits for the answer for his question. ]

[ That name. It sounds familiar. It would sound extremely familiar if his mind wasn't a buzzing mess, pulsing with blood.

Viktor. [ His words hesitate though, catching at the very end before he continues, eyes narrowed not in an upset fashion, but rather more predatory: ] Viktor Nikiforov.

[ Strange, whose head is less of a vampiric mess, recognizes that name. Viktor. He's from the carnival! And...also seem to be not doing very well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that there's something weird about the way that Viktor is looking at him, there's something odd about the tone of his voice.

A vampire isn't human any more, they're undead demonic things...but as part of his duties, he needs to protect the carnival. Did Viktor still count as part of the carnival? Needless to say, he's trying to sort out what options he has as he talks, still trying to keep things light and calm. ]

Well Mister Nikiforov, this might be a silly question, but are you well? You seem a bit...dazed.

[ 'are you well' because he kinda thinks the answer is no. ]

Edited (i forget sometimes that I play mr. 'it's a period drama so let's call everybody by their last names') 2017-03-05 03:08 (UTC)

[ There's enough sense in him to know he isn't okay. At least, not entirely okay. He feels weird, despite the unexplainable rush of energy and thirst. This isn't him. This really isn't him.

What is he going to do? And what is Yuuri --

That's enough for him to clearly say: ] No... No I don't think I am.

[ It comes with a very faint, very weak smile that's trying, trying so hard. But after a few seconds it fades back into that hungry, dazed, disorientated look. ]

[ Strange is definitely on guard now as he looks over at Viktor. Alright. He needs a plan. Attempting to get that other vampire to return to safety had...mixed results but it was certainly a good enough plan to try again. At least, it would get him out of danger. ]

I can get you back to your room, away from all these people and somewhere safe. Will you let me do that?

[ or is he just going to have to try and force Viktor to go somewhere safe to begin with. ]

[Yuuri is, honestly, having the time of his life. Still riding the high of this place in general he's got not qualms when it comes to mingling and dancing with just about anyone, his tree nymph mask in place as he flits from one person to the next, pressing a bit to close here and far too close there.

He doesn't realize who he's found, merely moves into the other's personal space with a wistful smile as he winds his arms around the other's waste. There's a sensual air about him as he presses up against Victor, eyes bright behind his mask as the piece itself seems to just blend into his face and hair, complimenting his horns nicely.]

Dance with me?

[ Viktro doesn't realize who it is, either. Which is silly because he saw Yuuri earlier, always knows who Yuuri is, but now? Now he can't tell that the person up against him is his fiancé. Which is silly in itself but... but Viktor can't seem to care. There's something different about the alcohol coursing through his veins. He feels ... different. Excited. In the moment. He hasn't quite felt like this before.

He takes the strangers hand at the request, bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it. Gently, just once. ] It'd be my honor.

[A soft laugh escapes Yuuri as his hand is kissed, an almost breathless quality to it as his fingers curl around Viktor's in response. He doesn't bother to say anything in response and instead just gives the other a tug, moving backwards into the crowd so he can keep his eyes on his dance partner. The spots he'd acquired in Atlantis glow softly underneath his costume in the dim lighting of the ball room, reflecting in his eyes as he stops and loops an arm around Viktor's neck.

His lips curve into an impish smile as he guides the hand that he was holding to his waist, pressing close to the other as he starts to move to the music.]

[ The glowing spots are beautiful to look at, and if Viktor's mind wasn't abuzz from the alcohol and the atmosphere, it'd all click. But it still doesn't. He still doesn't realize it's Yuuri, even when his fiancé wraps his arm around him. That familiar, safe warmth. That bright inspiration. ]

You're very talented. [ It's a breathless compliment as he continues to follow the music, motions just as graceful on the dance floor as they are on ice. He makes a move to guide Yuuri into a dramatic dip. ]

[Yuuri is more than happy to move with the dip, a breathless laugh escaping him as one of his arms drops from Viktor's neck enough that he can brush his fingers along the other's jaw just below the mask.]

So are you. Lucky me to end up with such a good partner. [As he straightens up from the dip following Viktor's movements once more, Yuuri outright giggles now as he presses closer.] And such a handsome one.

[Because his mind doesn't equate the mask as anything but handsome. It's almost as if he's seeing the mask as Viktor's face and there's nothing odd about that. Nope. Not at all. This man is gorgeous.]

[ Viktor chuckles back. The music is pushing everything out of his mind except for this moment. The way his partner dances so gracefully, the way the magic all but carries them throughout the room, as if on wings. ]

I'm the lucky one. [ He breathes it back, voice low but still loud enough of a whisper over the thrum of the music around them. ]

I bet your name is just as charming as you are.

I wouldn't know. I don't really find it all that charming myself. [It's said impishly, Yuuri clearly making a game out of this now because he wasn't going to give his name up that easily, you silly man.

A thoughtful sound escapes him, melding into the music as he drapes both arms over Viktor's shoulders again, fingers carding through the hair at the back of other man's neck.]

There's something about you...I feel like we've met before. Crazy, isn't it?

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⇨ THE MASQUERADE

viktor | open to all!

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A!

yessss

;3

this is a hot mess i love it

me too it's so wonderful

my heart ow

this is both the best and the worst