(open) hell is deep lord, but we're heading deeper

[thelittlemerman]

[With new lords come new excuses to party.]

[Some time on the 19th, the fae stage a takeover of the club fabric in Smithfield. Invitations are sent out to all the fae in London, touting the glorious coming out of the Lords of Rivers and Illusions, Seelie and Unseelie respectively. It's one of those times where fae of both courts just want an excuse to throw a party, and the invitation is all the notice said new lords get that they are going to be guests of honour.]

[It's a typical fae affair; the magic is heavy in all three rooms, one of which is decorated like a ballroom in Other Realm fashion. The food and drink served at the bar remains untouched by fae charms, but the fae presence itself seems to be intoxicating. Some of the activities happening in dark corners seem to be a little beyond what's regularly allowed at any reputable nightclub, but don't pay attention to that just enjoy the party.]

[If you manage to cause any trouble, a team of large fae is here to escort you out. You may have seen them faithfully guarding the door, sniffing out those who may want to cause harm to the high concentration of fae inside. Vampires can be let through if they have a fae companion with them, and otherwise all types of humans and supernatural alike are allowed in.]

[The party goes on for precisely 72 hours, and on the 22nd the party winds down and mysteriously disappears. The club is left a little cleaner than when it started, the staff left completely befuddled about what just occurred.] (x)

Comments

Ringer | 19th & 20th | OTA

[whatmatters]

Ringer is mostly here to try to learn more about the fae and make alliances. What normal people might call networking or making friends. She's wearing a simple black cocktail dress, elegant and classy and looking a little out of place with the much more glamorous and ostentatious types around. It doesn't bother her so much as being around the drunk people does and she will do her best to avoid the intoxicated where she can.

She mostly avoids the ballroom and instead wanders around, navigating crowds and occasionally joining circles or being approached by strangers to chat for a bit. Sometimes she actually gets names and has a decent conversation, other times she has the delight of politely declining to dance. At least she's trying.


[Feel free to run into Ringer at any point in the first two days, though she won't be around beyond that.]

[anniesgonemad]

This club was a frickin' maze. Seriously. Hw many times Annie has wandered around, she's lost track of. Each time she thinks she recognizes a place, it's actually another room entirely. Still sober, she's using being lost as an excuse to do some quality people watching. The sorts of fae she's run into so far tend to look human. But here, some of them are notably not.

Out of the corner her eye, she spots Ringer, and immediately abandons her post to come over to her, reaching a hand out in greeting. "Ringer! You made it!" She smiles brightly. "I'm so glad!" She beams with pride as though this was her event. It's not, she had nothing to do with it, but this event is for Finnick and that alone practically makes her glow.

[whatmatters]

Ringer turns at the sound of her name, surprised for a split second that someone's excited to see her until she spots Annie. Her lips twitch at the corners with the hint of a smile as she takes her friend hand. It's almost disorienting to see Annie so damn happy and it makes Ringer feel better, both about the event and her own attendance.

"How is it?" She asks over the noise of the crowd around them. Knowing the party is for Finnick, she can understand how important it is to Annie that it goes well. The smile is some indication, at least.

[anniesgonemad]

"It's a lot of fun!" Annie yells, because that's what you do in places like this, you yell instead of talking at a civilized volume. "It's a bit- a bit much." To put it lightly.

"Have you ever been here before?" Ringer was, like Annie, not the type to go out partying all night long. Or really go out. Ever.

[whatmatters]

"'A bit much,'" Ringer quotes with a hint of amusement as she looks around at everything. A gross understatement. While Annie yells, her volume is basically as little as she needs to effectively be heard, trying to blend into the noise as much as possible. It's still near yelling, thanks to the sub woofers, but something vaguely more reserved if only in her mind.

"No, have you?" She asks in reply. "Does it normally look like this?"

[anniesgonemad]

She shakes her head. "No. But Finnick and I were looking up pictures online before. It's a lot like this- except for the ballroom. That's new. And, uh, all the glitter. And magic." Obviously. "Also you usually have to pay for drinks."

But fae had a way with words, and so the drinks were free for everyone. Not just the girlfriend of one of the honorees. Not that she was really drinking much. Drugs and alcohol left her feeling out of control.

"But I'm having fun!"

[whatmatters]

"It's amazing," Ringer admits, seemingly in spite of herself. The glitter's a little much and there's way too much magic and too many people who are way too pissed from having access to an open bar, but it's definitely a magical setting in the figurative as well as the literal. The most important part is that Annie's having a good time and Finnick seems to be benefiting from it well enough.

"What is the ballroom? Is it the other realm or some kind of magic?"

[anniesgonemad]

Annie bounces a little on the balls of her feet, giggling with glee. "It's magic!" She points out to her.

"Finnick and I spent some time in there. It's more... classic. For older fae and stuff. That like the courtly romantic stuff. I kinda like it. It's... quieter. And Finnick's a great dancer." She blushes. FInnick was great at everything. That's just how it goes. And Annie does love to talk about him.

"You've seen it, right? I can take you!"

[whatmatters]

"Only in passing," Ringer admits, almost immediately regretting the words at the sight of Annie's enthusiasm. The girl doesn't mean to be a kill joy, she's just awkward and doesn't really know how to deal with situations such as this. Especially when things like dancing are involved. Put a gun in her hand and give her a target and she's perfectly at ease. Put her in a room full of drunk people and she freezes.

She tries to think of something to say about Finnick that she hasn't said and fails. Ringer worries Annie's life revolves too much around the fae, a concern she has no intention of expressing more than she's indirectly touched on. It makes her hesitate to indulge in the topic of the man entirely though.

[anniesgonemad]

Finnick was a huge force in her life. But that's what happened when you were in love: you became each other's worlds. Annie was no exception. They had their politics, Finnick more so now. And his politics were hers.

Maybe she needed more hobbies. Another knitting project.

"d'you want to check it out?" She asked again. Ringer hadn't sounded too enthusiastic, and Annie didn't want to drag her anywhere without permission.

[whatmatters]

Ringer nodded. "Yeah. Let's check it out."

It might enable her a better view into the fae's culture or something. Mostly she didn't like feeling the anchor to Annie's mood. Her new friend was energetic and chipper to her near constant neutrality. The least she could do was make an effort now and again. Besides, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Magic enchanted Ringer in a way.

[anniesgonemad]

Annie reaches for Ringer's hand, but doesn't take it. she remembers almost too late that not everyone is okay with touching. she usually is, but had her moments herself and she was sure Ringer felt the same way. so instead, she changes the motion into a gesture to follow her.

"let's hope we don't get lost! it's so easy around here!"

[whatmatters]

Ringer notices the hand and is grateful when it doesn't reach her own, though she makes no sign of it. She follows along with Annie easily, not necessarily opposed to touch, but not comfortable with casual gestures of affection. She still has trouble just admitting to herself that they're actually friends.

As the crowds become more dense and rowdy and the pair begin finding it harder to navigate, Ringer finally reaches out and sets her hand on Annie's shoulder to avoid being separated. She makes an effort to move herself closer to the girl, half-yelling to be heard over the noise around them. "I didn't realize it was so busy. Finnick must be popular."

why hello again

[falsify]

Well, this isn't quite the setting he had in mind for a second meeting. Especially given how he'd avoided telling her what he was. Eames considers just ignoring her altogether, but it's a party half in his honour (nominally, at least) and Ringer struck him as the observant type.

Thankfully for his dignity, Eames is still sober and fully dressed at least.

He sees her reject a dance and sidles over to stand behind her, waiting until the rejected suitor walks away before he speaks. "Fancy seeing you here."

WE MEET AGAIN

[whatmatters]

Ringer spins around to come face-to-face with the man she definitely didn't expect to see in these circumstances. He brow furrows as she stares at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what he might be doing here. Annie mentioned this being a celebration in honour of Finnick's promotion. Nothing about Eames.

"Hi," she says finally. Ringer isn't sure how to react to his presence, which means her tone is perfectly cordial. "I didn't expect to see you here."

what a COINCIDENCE

[falsify]

It's rare that someone says something that makes Eames deflate, but somehow that does it. In the back of his mind, it strikes him as a little odd seeing as he didn't even want this to begin with, but it kinda sucks when there's a party in your honour and someone has no idea why you're there.

But. He plays it off with a shrug of a shoulder and a small smirk. "I told you, I get around."

where there's a will, there's a fae

[whatmatters]

"You did," she admits tensely, waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

Ringer drops her gaze before following him back up, taking in his full appearance without any sign of either disdain or desire. He's a curiosity, if anything, and his reaction to her remark only confirms that annoying itch in the back of her mind to solve the mysteries that stick with her. Eames is one of those.

"Are you a friend of the guest of honour?" She asks carefully. It's a public enough scene that she's hoping he's not here to murder her, but it's not like he's asking her to dance either. Ringer has no idea why he's here talking to her at all.

[falsify]

"Finnick? Mm, we've worked together on ocassion."

So she knows Finnick then? Eames smiles pleasantly, wondering if that's all she's doing here. Ringer seems a curious person, though perhaps not as knowledgeable as some. An event like this isn't a bad way to learn a little about the courts, though the information may be skewed on account of insobriety and general hedonism. Regardless, he tilts his head a little as he asks, "yourself?"

[whatmatters]

"You don't sound like his guest. Are you fae then?" Ringer doesn't know who would be here outside of fae, strangers oblivious to the scene - which Eames is clearly not -, and guests of the man of the hour. His smile is pleasant enough and he's oddly charming in a way that she wouldn't expect after their last meeting. It almost irks her that he can be so difficult to speak with.

"I was invited," she replies firmly, as if he's accusing her of being where she's not welcome.

[falsify]

"I don't sound like his guest?" Eames asks, bypassing the question of what he is. She probably won't let it go, but they can get to that later. At this juncture, he has things he's curious about, and obviously his questions are more important. "How do you know the man of the hour then?" He adds, amending his question. If she was invited, that means someone holds her in at least moderately positive esteem.

[whatmatters]

"Quid pro quo," she offers. It's becoming annoying that he won't answer any of her questions. Although she's happy to answer his, it seems uneven and that could be risky, depending on who and what he is. More so, it's a way to test his interest level in her. How much does Eames actually care about a lowly little human like Ringer. "You tell me if you're fae and I'll tell you how I know Finnick."

[falsify]

Eames laughs, nodding. He could just leave like last time, but he kind of likes this girl. She's sharp, and clearly has no time for bullshit; which is frustrating in its own way, but it's rare enough to meet someone he can't just talk around that it's kind of refreshing.

"I am," he says, gesturing to her with a tip of his glass. It's her turn now.

[whatmatters]

"I met him in an alley. And I'm- I know his girlfriend," she answers carefully. Ringer might admit to Annie being a friend in limited circles, but she's not about to admit the relationship to a sketchy stranger. Not for now, anyway.

The girl crosses her arms, both annoyed with the fae in front of her and with her curiosity in wanting to know him better. "Which Court?"

[falsify]

"Unseelie." That annoying smile of his isn't going anywhere, and he shrugs lightly. She knows enough about the courts to care which he's from, which likely means somehow she's come to an opinion. If he had to guess, it's probably the same one as every other mortal - the Seelie are kind, the Unseelie are cruel, blah blah blah - he's sure he'll see it on her face either way.

He cants his head, giving Ringer a look over, "you often meet shady fae in in alleys?"

[whatmatters]

She nods. Ringer's not sure why she even bothered to ask when it's fairly clear which Court he belongs to, though it's better to know than to assume. She wonders if he's an example of the ones who 'aren't so bad' according to Finnick, or if he's as bad as those that committed the genocide of her past.

"He's not shady," she replies dryly, humor in her own way. Considering, she adds, equally dryly, "Not as shady."

A pause, then for her own turn, "What are your thoughts on Daybreak's attempts to banish fae from the mortal realm?"