OPEN💗 LATE VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY

[peoplewatch]

WHO: Newbies, oldbies, everyone is welcome!
WHAT: A Late Valentine’s Party mingle, since Valentines’ Day was over Kaiju month…
WHERE: “MANTRA”, an underground, alternative club in Neo Toyko
WHEN: March 10th
WARNINGS: Romance and shippy things, alcohol, hookah, suggestive things. Anything NSFW is to be appropriately labelled.

Around the 10th of March, Outsiders will receive a message in their ocular inbox from Kabru, the Outsider also known as @ rasgulla. The message reads:

“To my dearest friends and teammates,

If we haven’t met before, call me Kabru. When not on missions as an Outsider, I work as a freelance event planner for various businesses and private organizations within Neo Tokyo.

Valentines’ Day is a popular holiday in Japan that was sadly interrupted last month by the kaiju. My current client is holding a belated Valentines’ Day event and they would really like the Outsiders to come. There will be plenty of food and things to do. Even if you're not looking for a romantic time, I'd encourage you to come!

Please wear something comfortable. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours sincerely,

Kabru.”



A location pin comes attached with the invitation. It looks like Kabru’s become more adept at technology over the months.

Follow the location pin and you’ll find yourself in front of ‘Mantra’ in metro Tokyo, an underground, alternative club making waves for its uniqueness in the club scene. Outsiders will all be allowed in without much fuss. The owner of the club is a gentle woman who kindly requests that all guests take their shoes off and leave them at the side. There is a lingering scent of incense and the people hanging out in the club look remarkably calm as they relax; cuddling and enjoying each other’s company. What kind of Valentine’s day party is this? A New Age, alternative kind, apparently. The owner of the club wants to be promoting togetherness in a completely different way.

Thankfully, finger foods and alcohol appear to be abundant, even if Kabru would really like you to be mingling with the people! There is a bar with free flowing wines and spirits, and a table with hors d'oeuvres and small desserts as accompaniment. These can include sushi rolls, small sandwiches, crab cake bites, small skewers, chocolates, little cakes and tarts. Food aside, there is live music playing and guests are highly encouraged to dance.

Naturally, couples are also coupling up, but anything too raunchy is of course cordoned off to a private room. Also, ignore the people smoking electronic hookah at the side…

What can you do besides eat and drink?

1. DANCING 💗

The DJ mostly plays trance and synth pop music in the background but he’s happy to take requests. On the dancefloor,there’s always a group of tipsy guests dancing their hearts out, some dancing alone and others dancing as a couple. There’s no right or wrong way to dance and most people will not cast judgement. Give it a try? Better hurry, before some of the overeager guests try to drag you in.

2. CUDDLE PILE 💗
Numerous cushions are set out around the venue for guests to lounge in and cuddle. It’s highly encouraged, in fact! Especially after a vigorous dance session. There are people lying together in larger groups, and couples choosing to spend their time lounging and enjoying each other’s company. Finding it difficult to relax? The owner might give you a whiff of her special perfume that’s guaranteed to put you in a state of complete calm. It might even make you more open about lying together with someone else.

3. SPEED DATING 💗

There’s a speed dating round going on in one side of the club. Guests are numbered and paired up randomly, then given a short amount of time to get to know each other on a speedy little date. Don’t know what to say? A list of questions will flow in through the oculars to give you a prompt. (Please refer to here and here for some examples or make up your own!)

4. MAKE SWEET TREATS 💗

In the spirit of Valentines’ Day, the owner of the club is hosting a quick desserts-making workshop at the event. Guests will be provided with ingredients and taught to make chocolate or cupcakes, and they will get the chance to decorate it however they like. It’s highly encouraged to make something to give to your sweetheart or the person you admire. Do you really want to be the person eating their own chocolate on Valentines’ Day?

5. PARTY GAMES 💗

What’s a party without party games? Throughout the night, people will be getting drunk and playing local drinking games such as the King’s Game. Eventually, other games from the West get introduced by other people. These games include Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle and 7 Minutes in Heaven.

6. TAKE SOMEONE HOME 💗

If it looks like you're having a pretty good time with someone else, a helpful robot will approach you and provide you both with a key to a private room. Some of these private rooms are normal and some are themed, similar to a love hotel. There's no need to actually do anything raunchy of course. You could just cuddle up and enjoy the warmth of the digital fireplace! Everything one might need for a nice time together (condoms, lubricant etc) will be readily available.

As the event planner, Kabru will be buzzing around and making sure everything runs smoothly, but he can be stopped for questions or concerns (pls be nice to him he has anxiety). Characters can sit out of anything they want, but drunk and overeager guests might decide to drag them in.

[ OOC: I put this up so everyone can enjoy a chill mingle after the chaos of last month! And also because we didn’t get the opportunity to have do much for Valentines’ Day given the timing. Naturally, please label any NSFW, add your content warnings appropriately, and state your boundaries and preferences in terms of shipping/gen/being tagged by younger/older characters. ]

Comments

[likemybooks]

[As Taryon approaches the sink, he's halted by the sight of empty, floating clothes in the mirror. His friends had fought a vampire long before they met Taryon, and they had talked about his powers, but seeing this phantom in the reflection is far more unsettling that reading about it in a reference book.

The shirt floats upward, wrinkling around the shoulders, then flattens as it's held out towards Taryon by an invisible hand.] Oh- right.

[He faces the elf and grips the shirt. His eyes are naturally drawn to the article of clothing, but just behind it is a slender, pale torso. It's ludicrous seeing the fine pants paired with a bare chest, and Taryon catches himself staring for a second before swiftly turning on his heel, sticking the offending stain under the faucet, and silently lathering the area.]

[sanguivorous]

[Taryon's staring at his naked torso, (lean, yes, but still well-toned, one of the few perks of his vampirism), Astarion is surprised to find where he would usually find a revulsion at someone ogling him, but in this moment...well, he doesn't want to explore what the feeling is that he's having, but it's not that. Maybe because the human had tried to look away rather than make some vile comment or try to touch him? Or something deeper...

Taryon begins trying to scrub at the spot, and Astarion steps closer to watch him work with a critical eye, but a small smirk on his face. His chest is just centimeters from that scrubbing arm.]

Hot or cold water?

[likemybooks]

[He's distressingly close, and Taryon's scrubbing slows so he doesn't accidentaly jerk into Astarion's ever-approaching body and...hurt him? Feel something worse?]

Cold. My friend said to use cold. [And he will trust Vex's rustic wisdom as she's the one who grew up in the forest. He runs the soapy fabric under the chilly stream for a few seconds as he rubs the stain thoroughly.

What next...? Right, wringing the water out and checking the progress. He keeps his body rigid, facing forward without angling towards or away from Astarion. He cannot allow himself to acknowledge the proximity of their bodies.]

[sanguivorous]

Fascinating.

[He feigns interest with a curious tone of voice, as if he didn't know himself. As Taryon opens the fabric to check it, Astarion puts a hand on his shoulder and leans in more to look over it--just so he can see the state of the stain too, of course.]

Hmm, looking good so far.

[likemybooks]

...Right. [They're too close now, and Taryon lowers his head to begin the next round of scrubbing. It does not hide the flush on his face.

Lather, rinse, dry. All while a bare chest is right behind him. It's too late to tell Astarion to back off — calling attention to it now would confirm that Taryon was thinking about it. It's not as if Astarion is blocking his work.]

[sanguivorous]

[It doesn't hide the flush (which can also be clearly seen in the mirror), but neither does he know Astarion can hear his heartbeat. He feels a satisfaction at these reactions--but it's different from the feeling he would have from a hunt going well. He wasn't doing this for someone else, to bring food back to his despicable master.

Astarion wanted this for himself.

His hand on his shoulder slips down, hand now flat on his shoulder blade.]

Do you think it will all come out, or will I need to do another round back at the base?

[likemybooks]

[This doesn't normally happen. Well, it has, once, when he was being targeted for a scam by a handsome leader of swindlers. Astarion isn't trying to weasel a thousand gold or butter him up with praise; all he needs is his shirt to be cleaned. Maybe...maybe he's just being a nuisance, like he sometimes does.

Although "nuisance" isn't a word strong enough to discribe the tension rising in Taryon's gut when Astarion's hand slides over his shoulder.]

I think- [He clears his throat.] I think this will be good enough.

[He wrings the shirt one last time, and any remaining red stain is a extremely faded remain that any regular washing machine can handle.]

See? I told you I know some s-stuff. [He does not look anywhere but the shirt.]

[sanguivorous]

[And now he's stammering. Even cuter.

Part of him is aware, however, that this may just be a general reaction to having a man, any man, topless and in his personal bubble. It may have nothing to do with the fact it was him, Astarion Ancunin, being the one to do it.

An odd, wistful feeling crosses his chest, but it is blissfully dashed away when Taryon shows the faded spot. With genuine surprise, he stops touching the human and reaches for the shirt, taking it in hand and studying it up close.]

Oh, look at that. I honestly had my doubts, but you actually knew what you were doing.

[likemybooks]

[All air pours of out Taryon's lungs as he's freed from further embarrassment. He really needs to stop being hyper-aware of any man in a more-seductive-than-usual situation. Astarion's just a flirt.]

See? Now you can return to the party without any issue. [He runs a damp palm over the top of his head to pat down stray hairs.] And when I don't have servants to clean my things, I have to get the job done myself. Doty doesn't have the fine motor skills to not damage the fabric.

[He dries his hands, thankful that he can look at the wall instead of Astarion.]

[sanguivorous]

Hm, it's quite wet however.

[He glances about and spots a hand dryer. He walks over to it and as he slips past Taryon his back comes into full view as does, well, a rather large scar. 3 circles nested within each other, with thorn-like prongs along each circumference. Some may recognize it as the writing of infernals. Astarion, however, doesn't seem to think about how Taryon might spot this oddity, having lived with it for almost two centuries it's just a part of him, even as traumatic as the catalyst for them was, and cheerfully turns on the machine and holds the clothe under it.]

[likemybooks]

[Curiosity works its influence on Taryon more powerfully than shame. The idea of a scar on the fastidious Astarion is surprising, but that scar connects to others, then others, until the entirety of the design is revealed. The scars form a shape, letters that spell a secret that Taryon cannot read. He peers at this large, morbid piece of art while Astarion has his back turned, unable to recognize the writing even with the entirely of it exposed under bright bathroom lights.]

[sanguivorous]

[He has to push the button a couple more times, rubbing the cloth together, using friction and heat to help lessen the dampness. As the dryer wound down after the third time he decides it's dry enough and turns toward Taryon. Still rubbing the fabric together, he says cheerfully:]

This should be good enough! I don't plan on staying any longer, unless you--hm? [He finally glanced up and sees the human leaned in, a look on his face that Astarion can't name but it's not a very neutral, waiting for someone sort of expression.] Something wrong?

[likemybooks]

Oh! [The ends of his feathered hair jump up with his shoulders.] No! I was just....

[There is no lie that could make him look better. He deflates.]

I just saw...your back. Sorry, I was a tad curious. Is it some sort of tattoo where you're from? I don't recognize the language in. Not some form of elvish, I presume?

[sanguivorous]

Oh.

[He curses inwardly for forgetting about that bloody thing and turns his back away from Taryon. He tugs his shirt back on, and keeps himself from meeting Taryon's eyes by tucking it in, fixing the sleeves and collar, so on. When he speaks he chooses not to force himself to sound casual or like it wasn't a big deal, but he also tries to not sound upset. There still is an edge to his tone.]

No. They're scars, from my master. It's in infernal: part of a pact.

[likemybooks]

...

[That can't be right.]

Is...is he a devil? Do they write pacts on skin where you're from? Actually -- no, I think there'd be devils in Exandria that would do that sort of thing.

[sanguivorous]

No, he's an elf. A vampire lord. He--

[He trails off, looking toward the entrance upon hearing a sound outside the bathroom, but it must have been women going into the adjoining ladies' room. He returns his attention to Taryon.]

I...trust you, so I will tell you about it if you truly want. But perhaps not in a public bathroom in the middle of a kissing party?

[likemybooks]

[Looking around, Taryon is reminded that they are very much in a public room that other men want to use, and not the most sanitary place to discuss tatoos and blood-drinking monsters.

He nods.] Later. Right. [He tilts his head towards the door.] Then, after this party?

[sanguivorous]

[He feels relieved that Taryon doesn't push it but also was willing to hear his tale of woe outside of the moment it was brought up in. Nice to have a confidant, or whatever you would call it, again.]

Sure, that would be fine