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Entry tags:
November Mash
Who: Open Log (All)
Where: City and Velvet Room
Summary: A small log before things get a little darker...
Warnings: N/A
A-1
As the last days for crops slowly come to pass, Pont-a-Tarte lives up to its name, hosting a gigantic pie competition. While the main attraction is, of course, the giant pumpkin pie made with over ten gigantic pumpkins, there are booths selling maple, sugar, apple and pecan pies as well. Sometimes said pies are thrown in someone's face...but all in the name of good fun. You signed up for this, right?
A-2
A pumpkin carving contest is also underway! There are monetary prizes, but originality is what the inhabitants are looking for the most. The stranger (and spooky!) the idea, the better the prizes.
A-3
There are costume contests as well and a carnival at night. Will you join in? Maybe you'll take inspiration from your own world? However... you may notice something rather strange - at night you'll be able to change into your rebel costume when no one is watching. Not stuck in a dream is strange enough, but the fact that others wearing costumes don't seem to think odd of it means it truly is some sort of magical night... Too bad you can't use your personas or move around with the usual dexterity.
A-4
The only one who seem to really care are the numbers of cats around...most of them start rubbing on you the moment you are in your “costume” and it becomes difficult to move around. The minute the costume disappears, they move off,
Where: City and Velvet Room
Summary: A small log before things get a little darker...
Warnings: N/A
One would think on the darkest night something terrible would happen. You would think wrong. Perhaps it was a sort of irony that caused Halloween and All Hallows' Day to happen without incident, but a strange feeling tells you that something might be up soon enough...
... however right now the city is in celebration, and honestly even Luci and at least one of the Velvets are encouraging celebration.
... however right now the city is in celebration, and honestly even Luci and at least one of the Velvets are encouraging celebration.
SPOOKY SCARY PUMPKINS
A-1
As the last days for crops slowly come to pass, Pont-a-Tarte lives up to its name, hosting a gigantic pie competition. While the main attraction is, of course, the giant pumpkin pie made with over ten gigantic pumpkins, there are booths selling maple, sugar, apple and pecan pies as well. Sometimes said pies are thrown in someone's face...but all in the name of good fun. You signed up for this, right?
A-2
A pumpkin carving contest is also underway! There are monetary prizes, but originality is what the inhabitants are looking for the most. The stranger (and spooky!) the idea, the better the prizes.
A-3
There are costume contests as well and a carnival at night. Will you join in? Maybe you'll take inspiration from your own world? However... you may notice something rather strange - at night you'll be able to change into your rebel costume when no one is watching. Not stuck in a dream is strange enough, but the fact that others wearing costumes don't seem to think odd of it means it truly is some sort of magical night... Too bad you can't use your personas or move around with the usual dexterity.
A-4
The only one who seem to really care are the numbers of cats around...most of them start rubbing on you the moment you are in your “costume” and it becomes difficult to move around. The minute the costume disappears, they move off,
Coins and Pranks...
B-1
Not to be outdone by the city, the Rebels’ phones will ring on November 1st, asking them to bring the pumpkins they might have done the day before so that they can be judged. Of course the Velvets are very... strange, so what might have won first prize might just be seen as a feeble attempt. However, there are prizes to be won, so it might be worth even to carve a new one! To be honest, they seem pretty pleased with anything...
Well... William seems pleased. Mary may seem a little lost with the whole affair, but soldiering on with her usual straight-laced efficiency.
(OOC - Pyro Jack’s/Jack Frost’s coins will be award to anyone who participates. Keep these in hand... they might be useful later. On a somewhat strange note the outside, while covered in bluish foil, peels to reveal a piece of chocolate... however, the layer of chocolate is very small and it's actually a golden coin inside.)
B-2
Not to be outdone by the city and the Velvets, Luci's asked the rebels to participate in his fun little contest too -- by which he means, “show me where you leave your rotten pumpkins and prank someone in the city.” But are you sure you even want a prize from him?
OOC - This is a small, fun log, but brace yourselves as plot logs are coming soon and a few new announcements! Use this as a small breather and have fun!
Not to be outdone by the city, the Rebels’ phones will ring on November 1st, asking them to bring the pumpkins they might have done the day before so that they can be judged. Of course the Velvets are very... strange, so what might have won first prize might just be seen as a feeble attempt. However, there are prizes to be won, so it might be worth even to carve a new one! To be honest, they seem pretty pleased with anything...
Well... William seems pleased. Mary may seem a little lost with the whole affair, but soldiering on with her usual straight-laced efficiency.
(OOC - Pyro Jack’s/Jack Frost’s coins will be award to anyone who participates. Keep these in hand... they might be useful later. On a somewhat strange note the outside, while covered in bluish foil, peels to reveal a piece of chocolate... however, the layer of chocolate is very small and it's actually a golden coin inside.)
B-2
Not to be outdone by the city and the Velvets, Luci's asked the rebels to participate in his fun little contest too -- by which he means, “show me where you leave your rotten pumpkins and prank someone in the city.” But are you sure you even want a prize from him?
OOC - This is a small, fun log, but brace yourselves as plot logs are coming soon and a few new announcements! Use this as a small breather and have fun!
Sneaky sneaky :3
[In the middle of this, her gaze drifts up and lands on Ran.]
[Vermouth's heart immediately leaps in panic, her mind desperately running over possibly escape routes. Normally she would never let Ran notice her, nor would she approach her Angel without a disguise. It was too risky. The Organization might take notice, or almost worse, she might learn about the Organization. Having Shinichi know was already a gamble, although one that neither of them had chosen. Still Vermouth could not bear the thought of losing both of her precious treasures.]
[Of course, she can't exactly throw on a new disguise and disappear. Not with an audience of costumed guests present and no planning. So she acts natural, laughing cheerfully with the children before finally bidding them farewell.]
[With them gone, Vermouth slowly turns towards Ran with a forced smile. Time to act calm and cool.]
Ran! Well, this is a surprise. Have you been out trick-or-treating?
/prepares >O
[But of course Christina does nothing. She really can't, Ran reminds herself, for the same reasons that she shouldn't openly come after Ran herself: It will cause disturbance, a break from that false life that binds all of them.]
[She reminds herself, but she's not completely reassured. She only eases when the children chorus a thank you, trotting away from the door, giving a distracted half-smile when one of them compliments her costume on the way past. She doesn't quite dare to pull her eyes from Christina.]
[Though she ventures forward, she maintains a distance of a few feet, coming to a pause farther away than normal -- out of reach.]
I have to talk to you.
[She works to keep the anxiety out of her voice; her stomach is already flip-flopping in her gut. The small talk is ignored, if only because otherwise she's not sure she'll get the words out.]
Wrong icon
[She notices the distance but isn't offended. Honestly it is more shocking that Ran would bother visiting at all. Her eyes widen slightly.]
Well, this is a surprise.
[Which is only a half truth. While Vermouth had thought, maybe hoped, that Ran would be too frightened to approach her, she too knew that it was only a matter of time before their false lives would bring them together once more.]
What about, particularly?
no subject
[Ultimately it doesn't change things, though, however Christina chooses to react, and Ran lets the question slip away. Her eyes flick towards children mounting the stairs of a house next door, and she presses her lips together, moistening them.]
Not here.
[She's taking a risk, asking this. But Christina stands a lot to lose if something happens to Ran. It's a closed community that she can't escape from.]
[Beyond that, she has to cling to the idea that Christina could have shot her when she Awakened, had she wanted to. She went for the Shadow instead. Also, she could have shot her even back then with Ai. Again, though she'd screamed at Ran to move, she hadn't. Ran is going to hold to that for now.]
[She has nothing else.]
no subject
[Never fear. Vermouth had no intentions to answer questions out in the open. She wouldn't dare speak about her life where the public could hear. Or her Organization coworkers, fellow actors, even her own friends.]
[She opens the front door, gesturing towards it with the candy bowl.]
After you.
no subject
[But in the end, lips still pressed together, she gives a short nod and obeys, slipping past Christina and into the house.]
no subject
[With that, she places the candy bowl on a side table and walks into the kitchen. It's a small room but classy. The counter is clean outside of a single bourbon glass, a slightly change from her usual iced tea.]
Would you like something to drink? I have cider in the fridge.
[She offers with a charming smile, definitely not stalling. Okay, no, that's a lie. Vermouth is certainly putting off the inevitable, falling back on more comfortable habits from their false lives.]
no subject
I can't-- [Without further thought she darts towards the door, flicking the latch back to unlocked. Only then does she feel like she can breathe, the coolness of the metal at her back.]
I'm sorry.
[Why is she apologizing? She isn't sure. Maybe it's habit, maybe it's false memory . . . maybe, for some unconscious reason, it just feels right to do so. She presses her lips together, moistens them.]
The last time I remember you from home, you were threatening to shoot me and a child. [The words are soft, but with the door at her back, she feels brave enough to say them.] I . . . It would be easier to pretend like everything is like it's supposed to be here. I wouldn't be so scared. But I can't forget that.
[Distantly, it begs the question in her mind -- why does Christina want to gloss over it? But it's not a conscious thought. Not yet.]
I can't help it. You scare me. A lot.
no subject
[That’s part of the reason Vermouth was surprised Ran would bother to see her at all.]
[The older woman stands still, her gaze away from Ran. The silence is deafening until finally, finally she breaks it.]
And yet here you are.
[Despite her even tone, Vermouth can't help but feel a swell of fondness at the thought. This determination in the face of fear, she knew it to some degree, but Vermouth made a point of only doing so when she stood to gain from it. Yet here was Ran, who had little to gain from her but danger, for some confusing yet inspiring reason.]
[Finally she turns to face Ran again.]
Very well. The door can stay unlocked, but only if you are willing to keep watch.
no subject
[In the back of her mind, she can't help a flicker of thought about why the woman is bound to the idea of the door being guarded -- but maybe a woman who is willing to hold a gun, to shoot it towards another human being, has cause to wonder when a gun may be turned on her instead.]
I had to come. [The words are still soft.] Whatever happened at home, we're still supposed to be related here. Luci told us we're supposed to stay as normal as possible here to not attract attention.
[Blue eyes flick back up to Christina's face.] We need to find a way to still be family. Though . . . there's something I need to know.
no subject
[Vermouth is far more concerned that someone might overhear the conversation. Depending on how this turned, that could be quite troublesome indeed. She doesn't want knowledge of the Organization from spreading, but silencing an onlooker is a hassle she would rather avoid.]
I see. [That does match her own thinking, at least partly. Vermouth had figured acting the part of Christina would be smart, at least until she had a better grasp on her current situation. Christina was familiar to residents here and far less threatening. An excellent cover for blending in.]
[However, she didn't quite know how to approach her fake family. Vermouth had not experienced normal familial relations in quite some time. While she still could feel residual positive emotions towards them, that only served to push her further away as her instinct to protect them with distance took hold.]
It would be better for us all if you could keep away. No good will come of being involved with me.
[Her words and gaze are unusually serious, despite the slight heartbreak in her eyes. She sighs, before shifting her focus sideways.]
If we must, though, I suppose there is no choice. I'll contact your father this evening. [With an adequate excuse for her absence.]
[She does not comment on the unspoken question.
no subject
Would you hurt them? Or Conan-kun?
[The words tumble out, almost too fast after Christina finishes her sentence. Her hands are tight behind her back, balled against the door.]
I have to know. I need your promise.
[She had asked Chikusa this question not so long ago. It's imperative to her, vital, even if asking it sets every nerve to race with electricity.]
no subject
That's what you were worried about?
[Of course Ran had seen that side of Vermouth. However, she had not considered how far her 'niece' would think she'd go.]
I have no intention of harming Conan-kun or our family. Even if the memories are fake, I hold no ill will towards them.
no subject
[Softly,] Thank you.
[Swallowing, she presses her lips together, then pushes onward:] You know us, don't you?
[The pictures on the table in the dream -- what reason is there for her to collect them if she doesn't know them?]
How?
no subject
[There is no hiding what's been seen. Yet how can she answer that without endangering her beloved Angel?]
Does it really matter?
no subject
[Ran's eyes shift away a little, focusing on a point in space beside Christina's arm.]
I can't help thinking . . . it had something to do with why you didn't shoot. Back then.
And maybe why you're bothering to warn me away now.
no subject
[Yet that would not do. Any information revealed might be considered too much by the Organization's standpoint, placing Ran in grave danger. That couldn't happen. It was bad enough that her father had caught their eye, even briefly.]
[Oh, how she would like to deny it all, to pretend that the first time they met was when Ran decided to protect Sherry. Yet that would only lead to more questions, which spoken or unspoken might be dangerous.]
[After a long and uncomfortable pause, she chooses her words. Slowly, almost uncertainly trying to find a middle ground.]
Once... you and Shinichi showed me a great kindness.
no subject
[The way she says Shinichi's name, too . . . no honorific, bare in confident intimacy. Her mind flashes back to the dressing table in the dream before Vermouth awakened, all the photographs and articles piled onto the surface.] We . . . must have made an impression.
[And yet . . .]
But I don't remember meeting you. [The words are confused, wondering, almost a little helpless, her brow puckering. Her memory for faces has always been so good -- and Vermouth is so distinctive. How can she not remember such a person?]
no subject
[While yes, the two have definitely earned her respect, that was only half the reason for her lack of honorific. Vermouth rarely used honorifics at all, unless a disguise required it. Perhaps her time in America developed the habit, or her current cover as the rude and stand-offish Chris Vineyard.]
[Vermouth is slightly relieved at Ran's words, yet slightly disappointed too. However, it was quite likely the only think saving her was the serial killer's disguise she had wore back then.]
I'm not surprised. [She plays it off casually.] It was some time ago. Many things have happened since then.