synflux | OPEN💗 LATE VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY

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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It disappears during the silence as they wonder if their joke didn't land.

But he plays along, and they take that as an indication to keep going.]

Two if we pooled our money together, yeah. But you'd get my portion in that case. Doesn't seem fair of me to keep it to myself, all things considered.

Why not? You seem to have a mouth now. Might as well use it for something outside of useless talk.

[A beat.]

But I guess it's not really a mouth. Is it? Just a disguise.

[Their eyes widen a fraction at the first set of statements. They shift in their seat and look away at the second.]

Y-Yeah. Just something I came up with. I wasn't even going to make it look like anything at first--just use the default settings, you know? But it didn't... look right.

[They're not sure why they're saying all this. The words just started pouring out them the moment they went to reply.]

Mm.

[One day Dante will get their head back. One day.]

Well, it looks fine. You shouldn't waste energy worrying.

Oh, um! No, I'm... okay with this. I mean, I agree it looks fine. It's based on what I already have so... Even if it's not the same... It... Uh... I'm... not worrying?

[Where did all this nervous energy come from all of a sudden?!]

You're stammering.

[Just pointing that out.]

R-Right! I am. But I'm not worrying!

[That's two entirely different things.]

So why are you doing that? You're acting like a girl who's getting all worked up before meeting a crush.

[No. No. They thought about this before and decided they weren't going to think about it anymore!]

What?! No I'm not! I just... wasn't expecting to talk about the disguise?

[Dante's insistence is getting on his nerves, so his eyes spark with light, his sigh aggravated.]

And what is there to talk about it, Dante?

Nothing! Because we, um... already... did.

[Time for a change of subject]

Anyways... I think it was your turn for a question?

Did we? Hrm.

[>:/]

Sure. Let's see. Most annoying thing someone could do to you, go.

[They barely have to think about their answer.]

Ignore anything I'd have to say in favor of their own monologue.

Oh. Huh.

Even if they don't understand your ticking?

It's actually that kind of situation that I'm thinking of. And it's not the fact that they don't understand me so much as... what they do with that fact.

[They fold their arms, frowning.]

Most people tend to ignore me or drag Faust or another Sinner over to translate for me and... that's fine. I'm used to that. But others will just go on and on without bothering to see if I'm following. Or ask me a bunch of questions only for them all to be rhetorical so they can keep listening to the sound of their own voice.

[Like they're just some object that happened to be in the room with them at the time.]

Sometimes it feels like you were the only one who even bothered to try and understand me.

[...

...Sigh.]

...Sorry. That's been building for awhile.

Ah. So they treat you....well. Forgive the term, perhaps, but like a clock on the wall.

[The last statement before their apology makes him blink - almost a little surprised, before he lets out a low huff.]

No need to apologize. Also. I don't think you're hard to understand, even if all you did back there was tick and tock.

[They nod.]

That's it exactly.

Although I'm pretty sure you're the only one outside the Sinners who thinks that way.

[They don't say it as if it's a bad thing--more of a fact of life.]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who could read you.

[...]

I guess most just don't use effort to try, though.

Not really. That's the problem, ultimately. I get it, though. The Sinners are usually around, so it's easy to just ask them to translate. I do the same thing.

Here... it'd probably be sending messages through the oculars if this voice program stopped working.

Makes me wonder why Faust and company didn't just give you a way to type out what you want to say.

[where's Dante's fucking iPad for everyday use outside of journaling]

Beats me. Faust was surprised my PDA didn't already come with a note-taking feature, so... Maybe it's just that the company doesn't consider it necessary?

[let them have their notepad and paper....]

The company...

[fucking Hell]

Maybe I'll put in a word when we get back.

It's all right, really. No need to cause a fuss for my sake.

[So they say. But can they really go back to being unable to speak with other after having tasted that freedom here?

They try to smile reassuringly, but the expression just looks strained.]

No, I will.

[He's firm.]

I have the power for such things, even as limited as I am in others. It would be no trouble on my part.

[They look away, a pleasant tightness in their chest.]

...Thanks. I appreciate it, Vergilius. I'll find some way to pay you back.

[Though it feels like the tab they've run up with him is already miles long.]

(no subject)

immortalpoet - 2025-05-09 03:04 (UTC) - Expand

followyourstar - 2025-05-09 03:42 (UTC) - Expand

immortalpoet - 2025-05-09 03:51 (UTC) - Expand

followyourstar - 2025-05-09 04:02 (UTC) - Expand

immortalpoet - 2025-05-15 04:41 (UTC) - Expand