Masquerade [Open to all]

[stringmods]

Who: Everyone
Where: Near Scorpio's Central Art District
Summary: You all did good. Halloween is being celebrated in style.
Warnings: Nothing for the moment. Costumes?
Congratulations!

You've proven your worth to the city of Hinoto-Ri and this year the Masquerade is dedicated to you. You deserve the party, considering you saved the city from the Zodiac Monster! Besides, on the most powerful spiritual days, even the demons take a day off and enjoy a time of frightful good times with the humanoids.



The lights are all colored blue and purple, and the streets are filled with partygoers of all ages, in both fantastic and some-not-that-fantastic costumes. Pumpkins appear to be floating in the air, but once you come closer, you realize they are Pyro Jacks attending around. This is THEIR favorite holiday and they wouldn't have let it gone to waste!

Originally the Masquerade was to be celebrated around Scorpio's art center, but with the rebuilding still in process, it was moved close by, with the office of wands preparing all the charms needed. The streets need to be protected, considering the Full Moon was just a few days ago.

If you find yourself without any money, no worries! The Government has given you a bonus paycheck for your hard work last week. Costume shopping should be no problem, and the are still stores nearby selling their wears for last minute shopping!

With a small secure sector, it's sure to be an extra fantastic celebration of dancing, music and just watching both humans and demons going at it without much care. Candy is floating around thanks to the Pyro Jacks, grab something and try not to ruin your teeth. Hey, who IS that guy just passed by? Hard to tell.

After all, with these combination of Halloween costumes and a more high class masquerade ballgowns and masks, who knows is really human and who isn't?

Comments

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[ineedthemforanalyzing]

Latooni meandered through the party in a frilly purple dress and fairy wings that she'd bought for the occasion with the government bonus. She'd figured it was an appropriate costume, and not too different from what she was used to wearing for work.

Rather than specifically enjoy the party, though, she wandered around the periphery, as if trying to see what else was going on in the Scorpio District or to get an idea of how the reconstruction was going. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was looking for herself, but she wasn't the type to throw herself into a party, either, and 'reconnaissance' was always a good fallback for something to do.

[otakuro]

Someone has done a fantastic job at dressing up like the Monkey King. Seriously, the attention to detail is amazing - the style must be perfectly authentic for the ancient Chinese time from whence he came. The mask is somehow capable of conveying emotion, and... well, the smell is pretty accurate, too. The costumed man leans forward and leers.

"Hehehehe...! A life-size Pixie; never thought I'd see the day. Little fairy, how about you grant me a wish tonight?"

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"Uh..."

Well, that was certainly a costume. Or maybe it wasn't. All signs point to this being an actual demon.

"I don't mean to break the illusion, but I'm not really a fairie," she explained, just in case this guy had actually confused her for another species in the dim light.

[otakuro]

"Kyehe! And I'm no monkey! What's yer point?"

It appears the Monkey Kong is rather enthused. The creature flips backwards and lands atop a conveniently floating portable cloud. It reclines back in place. "You humans are ballsy! Wandering out free on our night... Dressing up like us like it's some kinda game! But I'm a nice guy. Maybe I can find it in me to forgive you."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"I don't think any of us meant to offend you," Latooni offered, "but the point of Halloween is making peace between humans and spirits and demons, right?"

Surely Latooni wasn't the only person who looked up the history and traditions of holidays she hadn't celebrated before on the internet, right?

[otakuro]

The creature waves her rationality away. "Sure, sure! So here I am, waiting to hear what you're gonna be doing for me to make peace."

The cloud suddenly zooms forward, bringing him back within uncomfortably close territory. "I've got some ideas if you're all out, pixie-girl."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"Um."

Wow okay, Latooni now knew what it felt like to need an adult. Or possibly a vaguely tsundere princess.

"The...usual offering is candy, right? A treat?" she asked, hesitantly.

[otakuro]

"A treat, huh...?" Monkey grin gapes wide to reveal sharp monkey teeth. "I could use a treat. But I'll bite your hand off if you try to feed me candy."

Latooni has initiated Contact with Seiten Taisei!
>Run away screaming
>Dance the macarena
>Proclaim undying love
>Offer Fake Fairy Wings as tribute

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

Well, only two of those were remotely in-character, and Latooni was from far too far in the future to have ever had her psyche or muscle memory darkened by the Macarena.

"...would you like my wings?" she asked. They could be removed from the costume easily, and would in fact make it a fair bit more comfortable, even if that left her dressed as nothing in particular: just a girl in a lacy dress.

[otakuro]

Seiten Taisei crashes through its cloud to the floor.

"What the hell would I do with your -- "

Seiten Taisei crashes to the floor again as a figure springs out of the darkness and lands heavily on its back.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!"

It is the heroic figure of a boy in a silly hat and elf boots. Atsuro glances up towards Latooni from his wayward demon and scowls.

"Did he hurt you at all?"

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"Oh! Uh, no, we only talked," Latooni said, her initial shock giving way to relief quickly. Well, at least this was clearly Atsuro. Jack Frosts aren't that tall, and are much bluer.

"Er...thank you, though," she added, willing to admit she'd been in over her head.

[otakuro]

"Geez! I was just gonna ask for a [Bead Chain x2] you paranoid little -- " Seiten Taisei vanishes in a flash of light before it can complete whatever invective it was about to utter. Atsuro snaps shut his COMP and gets to his feet.

"Sorry about that. I thought it would be fun to let my demons play around with the festivities tonight, but I think there's something in the atmosphere that's exciting them."

Also his costume is perfect stop criticizing his indistinguishable replica.

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"They're probably just excited for the holiday. It's equally important to humans and demons, right?" she asked.

If she had actually had [Bead Chain x2] she'd offer to trade the demon that for the answer to a question about alcohol she'd had. He'd smelled like he knew...but he probably didn't want to talk anymore anyway.

[otakuro]

"Yeah, like they don't have enough holidays with their extra hour every night." Atsuro grumbles slightly as he dusts off his pants. "He's from China; why would he celebrate Halloween?"

A brief readjustment to the Jack Frost cap and Atsuro is all set to look absurd continue the festivities. "What was he bothering you about, anyway?"

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"He asked me to grant him a wish or something first," she replied. "And then when I pointed out I wasn't really a fairy things sort of spiraled into...weirdness."

She shrugged. "I don't really expect to understand demon behavior completely."

[otakuro]

"...The only thing he's ever asked me for is some spare Magnetite." Atsuro frowns slightly as he wonders what could have spurred this on. "I think he's had enough fun for the night, anyway."

"...Hey, why don't I make it up to you? There's a stand selling candy apples down the street - I'll pay."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"Oh, it really wasn't that much trouble," Latooni said, waving a hand in protest of this much concern. "If he'd gotten too out of hand, I always have my Persona..."

[otakuro]

"Yeah, that... doesn't make me feel any better about it." Atsuro scratches briefly at the back of his head. "It's Halloween, right? We should be getting treats, anyway."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"Well, if you really insist, I shouldn't turn you down," she said thoughtfully, before nodding. "Plus, I don't think I've had a candy apple before."

[otakuro]

"Hah... I'm actually not a big fan, but some people are big on 'em." A brief pause as he realizes that doesn't really paint him in the most wholesome light. "Not... that this is some sort of weird date excuse or something; I'm pretty hungry."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

"I...didn't think that?" Latooni said, cautiously. It honestly hadn't occurred to her.

After a few seconds of awkward pause, she just went ahead and started walking over there. She doesn't know enough about boys to even determine where this conversation had gone awkward, so she just files it away for later research.

[otakuro]

Teenaged boys are capable of making anything awkward. It's one of their racial skills. Atsuro marches stiffly to the apple stand wondering where he had messed that one up.

"Er. ...You want anything special on yours?"

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

She shakes her head. "Since I haven't tried one before, I should have a basic one to see if I like them in general, right? Unless you have a recommendation."

[otakuro]

"Nah. I'd go with the normal one, too; the rest is just a lot of extra sugar." Atsuro shells out the cash for two candy apples and gingerly hands one to Latooni.

"Careful. It's sticky."

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

Latooni takes one apple carefully, using her fingertips the same way she'd hold a grease-covered piece of engine, and very gingerly takes a bite of her apple.

And spends more time chewing than she'd expected.

"It's...yes, it's very sugary," she says, clearly enjoying it even if she's not very good at expressing that, and also still managed to get caramel on her chin.