acrookedchild: (He found a crooked sixpence)
Abigail Widdowson ([personal profile] acrookedchild) wrote in [community profile] undergrounds2015-07-01 07:21 am

Stroke of Midnight [OPEN]

Miss Abigail Widdowson cordially invites you to Geap Manor on Wednesday, July 1st at 19:00.

Food, drinks, and music will be provided.

All are welcome, but individuals are to be aware that any hostilities during the evening's festivities will not be tolerated.


It is the first time in at least a generation that the doors of Geap Manor have been opened to the general population. Or, at least, as general as the supernatural community could be considered. Some invitiations were made personally, but most were formally sent to the higher ranking members of the various factions.

Dinner is announced precisely at 19:30. The small, intimate eating area for the family has been turned into a buffet room. The caterers Abigail hired have obviously been paid well to make sure there is something for everyone. Rich meat dishes, hearty vegetarian dishes, light fish dishes, plenty of accompaniments and finger food. There is also plenty of fairly fresh blood for vampires. For the others, there are wines, water, and tea available.

The grand dining room has had its large table removed, replaced, instead, by small tables that can comfortably hold four. They can, of course, be pushed together to allow for more room.

The ballroom is open to the guests, and the DJ has also been highly paid to make sure the music played is precisely to the hostess's tastes. There is plenty of modern music, good for dancing, as well as older classics. However, interspersed are classical pieces meant for waltzes and foxtrots and other such ballroom dances.

In the sitting room is a drink cart with wine, tea, water, and blood. Chairs and divans are available, as the room is a quiet place, a little away from the ballroom, so conversation can be had with ease. There is an unlit fireplace, and a portrait of Abigail a few years younger than she is now hangs above it.

Most of the rest of the house is locked. One can wander the hallways, but it may prove ultimately fruitless. One who simply walks up the stairways will find the walls of each lined with the Widdowson family portraits of every generation, starting with one of a ten-year-old Abby, her parents, and her six-year-old brother. As one takes in all the paintings, a pattern presents itself. Every Widdowson woman featured is pale, thin, and blonde.

The grounds are beautifully maintained and fenced in by wrought iron on top of stone. A very traditional look for such an imposing manor. On the path from the street to the house, there's little remarkable, save the knocker on the door. Behind the house, however, if one ventures away, one might get the keen sense of something from inside the house watching, waiting, and hungering. On the ground floor, the locked rooms are mostly unremarkable, save for the study at the back of the house. Linger too long near there, and one might hear a sound coming in a pattering set. It isn't a knock against the door, no. Instead, it is the sound of something hitting the wall. If someone were to force their way into the nursery on the second floor or the attic several stories up... Well. They likely won't be coming back to the party. Or to anything.

Wandering, of course, isn't a suggested enterprise. The old house doesn't like people poking around and trying to find its secrets.


(Everyone who has at least a familiarity with the supernatural is welcome, as the invitations were distributed widely. Mingle, make your own top comments, enjoy the food, etc!)
rules_winter: (aren't you interesting)

[personal profile] rules_winter 2015-07-03 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
There is something to be said for expecting people to do things. When they do it, without a fuss it sets something of a precedent. She lets him lead her to the floor, sliding her other hand up his arm to his shoulder as they take up a more traditional dance position, her fingers curling in a little to brush lightly against the exposed skin above the back collar of his shirt. "Sir Eames," she acknowledged him as they began to dance, the dress she wore trailing a little behind her but not managing to get in the way somehow even with other feet nearby.

Mab did not regularly attend such things in the human world. This was, in fact, her first in several decades. But it had given her the opportunity to see more of those they face in the future and those that might prove to be allies or potentially useful tools. Eames, she considered, likely came to such things more often. He seemed to like the human world a great deal. "Have you been enjoying the party?"
falsify: (Default)

[personal profile] falsify 2015-07-03 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"More than I expected," Eames says softly as he rests a hand on Mab's back, leading with a grace on his feet that may be surprising from someone like him. He casts the occasional glance around the room, curious about whoever else is here, but he fixes his attention on Mab when he speaks again. "Interesting to see who else made it out this evening."
rules_winter: (over the shoulder)

[personal profile] rules_winter 2015-07-04 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
"You do not normally expect to enjoy such a gathering?" She askes him and because he can dance, which she really expected he could being fae, they move through the steps with impressive finesse. She looks somewhat amused. "I would not have risked missing the young Witch's announcement had I known it would happen. An impressive show of defiance for one so fresh in our world."

Her eyes move from his to take in the others in the room. "Yes, it has been illuminating in many ways." Her eyes returned to his as they moved between another set of dancers as though unconcerned with bumping them. And though one of the men gave surprised swing of his partner away in concern, they moved through as though through water parting naturally before them. If she wasn't careful, even her human disguise would not keep her species unknown to some of the people in the room who she did not want to yet make aware of her.
falsify: (let's think on this)

[personal profile] falsify 2015-07-04 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
"I can't imagine the Good Witch Redbright was too impressed," a harsh laugh implied in his tone as they move through the room. Spending as much time among the humans as he does, it's easy to forget just how refreshing it is to move alongside one of his own. The way Mab dances with the knowledge that the room will accommodate her, rather than arrogantly hoping or awkwardly shrinking away from it. A real breath of fresh air.

"This a damn sight more exciting than the usual affair." He spins Mab, a little for show, but it's also a good way to gauge how many people are watching them without being quite so obvious about it. "Generally it's all awkward children pretending that lighting a fire makes them powerful."
rules_winter: (smile)

[personal profile] rules_winter 2015-07-04 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
Her own smile matched his and she had taken some vindictive pleasure in seeing that look of extreme irritation pass over the witch's face during the announcement. "The Good Witch will likely need to do something in response." It would provide a good distraction to their own claim on the city. And it could provide more opportunity to provide aid to the fledgling coven in exchange for favors of their own. Mab felt the whole thing was good business.

His spin doesn't even catch her off guard, she responds to the way his body moves and controls her spin ending closer to him at the end. "What is that human phrase for such a situation?" Something about a powder keg. "It could all very quickly become much more exciting." A gathering of this many different species only needs one misstep by one person to devolve into mayhem.
falsify: (schadenfreude. what a wonderful phrase)

[personal profile] falsify 2015-07-06 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Eames' feelings on the situation are very much in line with Mab's; a fledgling coven making a stand against the likes of Daybreak. Maybe they're not planning to antagonise anyone, but it'd be foolish of them to think they'll let it lie. Without much in the way of numbers or support? They'll need help. Protection. An opportunity ripe for taking advantage off if he picks his time right.

Not tonight though. Tonight he watches.

"We could be on the edge of a paradigm shift," he says softly, eyes dancing around the room, "it feels like there's a serious power struggle brewing."
rules_winter: (flirty)

[personal profile] rules_winter 2015-07-07 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
Greed is a great driver of fae behavior. And in order to take advantage of the situation, one had to make oneself known. Thus she would stay at the party a while. It seemed it was quite worthwhile.

Mab closed her eyes and breathed in, like she was savoring the smell of fresh baked goods or a particularly well roasted meat. "I am pleased to have returned. This should prove far from tedious." Her eyes open and she looks up at him, still taking in the room. There is a kinship there. She knows what he looks for. They are rivals in many ways. But that's what makes it fun. "Let the games begin, no?"