isleofavalon | happy holidays { open }

happy holidays { open }

A HOLIDAY PARTY

I. Arrival

There were postings around town, and fliers going out around the end of November. The holiday party starts early evening, December 1, thanks to the help of several hands. They had worked for a couple of days prior to the start to get the large ballroom decorated to everyone's liking. He had rented out a large ballroom, and started decorating the day before, adding finishing touches early on the day of. Everyone was invited - and while there's no real dress code posted, everyone is invited to dress their best for the sake of the party.

When one approaches the building, there's a clear set of rules posted outside written in neat script:

There's only a few easy rules to ensure everyone enjoys their night:

One, no fighting - if you have to - please take it outside.
Two, no weapons on the premises.
Three, all children under the age of sixteen must leave before nine in the evening.

Welcome in. Grab a mask if you want - or don't - and join the party.

II. Welcome In

When walking through the entrance, the first thing that is easy to notice is how it is decorated. It has the colors of the holidays - red, green, blue, white. It’s mostly deeper shades with pops of brighter shades of the color. On the right of the entryway there is a table with a dark blue cloth over it. On top of it is a wide array of masks - different styles, shapes, sizes. Whatever their heart may desire, you can find here. Masks are, of course, optional! But who doesn’t love a great masquerade?

Above it is a sign that says Yours to Keep - so they may keep whatever masks they pick up.

Next to it is a large book with lined paper where people can drop a short message about the winter holiday they celebrate at home - their favorite part, how they celebrate, anything they'd like to share with other people! This will be picked up at the end of the party.

Not much further ahead is a dancefloor to the left - spacious as ever. To the right is catering - set up as an elaborate display of food and tables arranged so people can sit and eat. There’s food from a variety of places, including Golden Silence. They’ll find not only savory foods, but sweet desserts. In the back corner, not far from the food is a bartender, who is happily serving free drinks for anyone of drinking age.

Past the bar is a hallway with a couple of private rooms. These rooms are quiet - with none of the noise of the party being able to reach them. They're perfect for stepping away from the party for just a few moments of peace and quiet. In this rooms, there's decks of cards and a few simple board games. Each room can hold up to four people and can be locked from the inside.

Don't worry - there's signs posted everywhere so they'll will be able to find what they're looking for.

III. With So Much To Do

A. Dance the Night Away

The music at the party is provided by a variety of individuals. Various talents have been invited through the night, even! If no one is set to perform, there's a playlist set to play. The music goes on non-stop and the styles that will be played will vary. Most of the songs will be fairly upbeat through the night. Some of them are slower paced - so pick a partner and dance.

B. Mistletoe

Throughout the venue there's going to be mistletoe set up in a few spots throughout the building. The spots they're hanging are easy to identify. Most doorways have mistletoe hanging from them. There's also a few prime spots where there's some hanging - such as the corner not far from the bar. It's a perfect place to steal a kiss.

B. Charity Raffle

Near the food, there's a sign directing people to participate and purchase tickets for the charity raffle for a few prizes for people. There's donations (or things purchased) from a few businesses around Camelot. All funds raised from the Charity will go towards helping everyone who lost things during the events with Celliwig/Lestari. There's a variety of things: brunch for two, a date package, opportunities to learn a new skill, and other experiences. Several prizes will be raffled off, and people may purchase as many tickets as they want.

IV. Late at Night

After 9 in the evening, the entire feeling of the party changes. The lights get lower and glowsticks become available just off of the dance floor where they weren't earlier in the night. The music remains upbeat, though there's no performers for this part of the evening - only a playlist cycling through a variety of songs. This is a perfect time to grab a partner for a dance, or grab a drink. There's no real end of the night in sight, people are welcome to stay as long they'd like - even into the next morning if they should want.

Just be sure they're out by lunch the next day when clean-up starts.

Some quick ooc notes:

Anyone is free to assume their character participated in helping decorate.

Anyone who is a musician may get a short time slot to perform (15-30 minutes).

Feel free to have your character win anything from the raffle if you want - I'm not particular here!

Please mark anything NSFW as such in subject lines.

Have any questions? Drop one in my question thread!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Horus closes off a few more of the vents that he's able to find, but eventually he stops being able to find new ones, and yet hasn't really found Walter yet. Well, time to smoke him out. It's not quite a potion, but the threat is good enough for a feint, so he opens up the last vent he had already sealed and stuffs some crumpled paper in it he found just hanging out, then grabs a candle used for decor to light the edges and blow it out, keeping blowing on it so that it creates smoke rather than fire. Once it's smoky enough, he seals it back up. It's not enough to suck up the oxygen, but certainly enough to start spreading smoke and scent through the vents. They very much could get in trouble for this. Oh well.

It will at least give Horus a chance to trace back to look for some knight statue decoration and take the sword and use his alchemy to sharpen the sword by drawing particles from the edge to make it thinner and clumping it onto the base. Is the sword ugly now? Yeah. But it's a nice way to quickly sharpen. Much of Horus's alchemical practices have been focused more on circles and how to improve his strength in a regular battle-- he has small circles drawn in on his skin so he can draw his gold jewelry in as a dynamic armor. Lighter that he only has to wear jewelry that he can move across his body to block shots. He's learned to move molecules to sharpen edges, to seal things off to create traps, and to use the ability to draw elements in from distances to create projectiles and spikes to impale, create walls from the ground to create temporary defensive towers. But what he's choosing to do now is create a sharp implement to shove into the ceiling along the track he thinks the ducts have gone. He doesn't know where Walter is, so he has to rely on his own strength and control not to push the sword two hard, but he wants the loud noise to echo when he thrusts the sword into the vent-- Only about two inches. If he is anywhere near Walter by chance, it'll just require stitches or a quick heal. It'll be fine. And if he's nowhere near, it'll at least terrorize him a little once he figures out what Horus is doing. ]

[It's just as he's preparing to exit into the ballroom that Walter catches whiff of the smoke. Was some idiot burning trash in the wc? How juvenile.

Popping down in one of the more remote corners of the ballroom, the youth immediately starts to dust off his clothes. And they're quite dusty; he's going to have to clean the tailcoat thoroughly before returning the rental.

Glancing up to keep a watch for Horus in between working on getting the dust off his arms, legs, and front, Walter starts to wonder if the sound of the ballroom is drowning out the other boy's voice. Walking back towards the hall he first disappeared into--the one with all the rooms and the network of closely-linked, now sealed vents--Walter is keen to find Horus and see what he is up to...

...that is, until he hears the sharp puncture of something piercing through the metal of the ventilation shaft, which has him immediately turning to investigate the sound of conflict... only to find that it is Horus.

Feeling the good humour drain from him, Walter scowls.]

What the hell do you think you're doing? You're breaking the party rules.

[There is a time and a place for the stabby sort of flirtation, Horus, and right now and right here is not it.]

[ Horus pouts when he sees that Walter is, in fact, out of the vents. What is he even doing then? Clearly he needs to learn more about these vent things for the future. ]

Am not. It's a decoration, and there is no fight unless you retaliate.

[ He's clearly decided that his loop holes mean he's totally allowed. ]

[It's a blatant distortion of the truth, and one for which he will not stand. Walter's temper swells like a wave, crashing down as he snaps in response.]

You modified it into a functional weapon!! You definitely broke a rule!!

[ He lets go of it, which is effectively stuck in the ceiling now, and clasps his hand together, popping one foot up behind him as he turns away. ]

Walter's going to punish me~!

[ He jumps slightly when the impromptu sword clangs to the ground, definitely not as stuck as he'd thought. And yet he doesn't seem intent on stopping his little shit act. ]

[Damn it all, the god actually looks like he's enjoying the idea of being punished! Walter twitches in agitation, staring down his friend as the sword dislodges from the ceiling and drops to the floor. When Horus startles at the sound, he stalks forward, reaching out in attempt to grab his friend's wrist.]

Outside.

[ Horus has half a mind to turn the chase to Walter chasing him now, but Walter's mood tells him he might just get ditched if he doesn't cooperate. It's better to act like he's been busted and accept whatever punishment Walter has in mind for him. Surely the mysterious plant doesn't stop working at other times of the year if need be. Horus lets out a playful hum and steps over the sword, holding his wrists behind his back. ]

In private, even, how lucky~

[Walter doesn't pursue aggressively when he fails to catch the wrist. He does, however, openly sigh at Horus' choice of words.]

I was always going to take you somewhere private.

[No punishment necessary. It had been his plan from the very start.

With a swift motion, he opens the window separating the room from the outdoors... and proceeds to leap out of it.]

Come on!

And yet I drew you back to me. Bait is a useful tool, too.

[ Walter has been "captured," in a sense. Not physically, but that had never been the intention. They were together again and no longer in a chase. Horus considers it a win, and his definitions of wins are very loose and decidedly difficult to keep up with. Horus won't let the rules of the game be defined, lest there be a winner or loser on either end.

Horus follows him to the window, climbing into it as well. When he jumps out of windows, he has wings, so he doesn't usually have to be careful. His wings here don't work and Set won't heal him for being an uncareful moron. ]

Catch me!

[ Though he also figures Walter won't drop him to begin with, so there's no issue with leaping for him. Catch him Walter! ]

[Walter doesn't have wings, but is used to jumping from incredible heights. Yet, like Horus, he no longer has the abilities to let him do this as he once did. Fortunately, the kinetic magic granted him has provided him with something that serves as an adequate substitute when it comes to traversing heights.

So, when he does catch Horus, just as Horus has asked him to, he does not put his friend down.

He leaps to the roof, alighting upon the snow-encrusted surface as lightly as one might expect if he had wings.

...which, him being human rather than a proper angel as his moniker might lead others to believe, he certainly does not.]

Caught you.

[There is a definite insinuation in his words; he is warping the definition of catching just as Horus had with his own definition of capturing Walter.]

And I you.

[ Horus smirks and wraps his arms around Walter's shoulder once he's 'caught.' He told you he would. ]

You're much stronger than you look.

[Walter is almost certain his heart feels a little different from normal when those arms find their way around him. Yet, bewildering though it is, he manages a small snort of amusement at Horus' assertion.]

My clothes cover my musculature fairly well.

[Except for the pants he was wearing when he arrived in Avalon, which showed off his legs very well. But he'd since been forced to acquire new pants, which do not fit him quite so closely.

His current formal wear hides pretty much everything.]

Formal wear always does. Even if you always wear it.

[ Or so it feels like. While Horus doesn't wear a shirt unless he has to, Walter always seems to be dressed stuffily to him. ]

Where are you taking me?

[Walter could argue the point that what he typically wears isn't considered formalwear in his time, as there are a handful of points by which it does not qualify to be so, but he is rather more interested in the second of Horus' statements.

With a subdued smirk, he lifts his head, tipping it just so to indicate the stairwell exit leading to the rooftop.]

See that nice little wall over there?

Going to throw me off the rooftop, are you? I don't know if I'll survive that!

[ He's laughing though. Is Walter punishing him or taking him for smoochies? Time will tell. ]

Rubbish. You'd survive it easily.

[But throwing Horus off the roof isn't what he plans to do. No, quite far from it.

Though it perhaps paints something of a silly picture with how much taller Horus is than he, Walter persists in carrying the god over to the very wall he indicated before letting him down.]

Now, what am I going to do with you...

[ Horus's magics weren't quite enough to keep him afloat and without his godly strength, a fall off a roof would likely leave him at least in a hospital's care, though he does wonder if Walter would care for him himself in that case. It's more a passing thought than any expectation though, as he doesn't think Walter will actually throw him from a building over a little rough housing. Horus is pretty decent at finding, toeing, and crossing lines. Often on purpose. And he's proven right when he's set down, letting go of Walter but reaching out to touch and twist a few strands of his hair with a hum. ]

Better decide quickly or I'll decide for you.

[ Horus leans down slightly to put their faces closer, a small smirk on his lips. He has about two seconds before Horus takes control of the situation. That's all the leeway he can offer. ]

[The ultimatum elicits a pleased smirk, said two seconds spent by Walter running gloved fingertips up the lines of Horus' garments. The touch to his hair alluring, their proximity enticing, the young human's heartrate picks up in anticipation.

As time runs out, fingers pause to entwine into the fabric.

Walter tugs, drawing the older boy down as he tips his head to seize Horus' lips with an eager kiss.]

Edited 2022-01-22 10:28 (UTC)

[ Horus wouldn't have minded at all if Walter had waited on him. But Horus not having a choice in that he needs to be in control of every situation ultimately means that the only way he can truly choose for himself is to willingly concede control to someone else. To give someone else an ultimatum over an act with him means their choice is because he's exerted power. It's convoluted the way he feels a sense of both relief and excitement in Walter grabbing his hair, taking advantage of the choice being yielded to him to be the forward one in a kiss with not only a god, but the future king. Such thoughts of power dynamics and how incredibly attractive it is that Walter is so damn impudent in the face of them only last for a brief moment as his thoughts turn to the kiss, the way Walter's lips feel against his.

The boy's inexperienced, but passion goes a long way. Horus tightens his fingers in Walter's hair, enjoying the eagerness for just a moment before pushing forward both with his body and his lips. He moves to pin Walter to the wall, ultimately taking the control he's supposed to, and intending on giving Walter not just his first kiss, but one that will take his breath away and leave a lasting impression. ]

[Walter lets out a soft gasp in response, blood warm and buzzing in his veins as it rises to colour his cheeks. Euphoria clouds his senses, and he allows the move, back pressing against the wall as he drops one hand to wrap around Horus' waist to hold him close.

Dimly, it registers in the back of his mind that Horus has done what he initially planned on doing. But, he finds he doesn't care; he's perfectly content with the way things have turned out. Only... he rather wishes the masks were gone at this point. They're a little bit in the way.

This thought in mind, he releases his grip on Horus' front, tightening his hold around the god's waist as he reaches up with every intention of removing that cumbersome mask, certain that his nimble fingers can make quick work of undoing the tie.]

[ Horus breaks his lips away from the kiss when he realizes what Walter is trying to do, a puff of mirthful laughter leaving his lips as he draws back just enough to lift the rather substantially sized mask off of his own face now that Walter's untied it. ]

You didn't want your first kiss to be impossibly memorable?

[ Getting kissed by a mouth sticking out of a giant bird mask... definitely a story, anyway. ]

[A sound of protest stirs in Walter's throat, lips pressing together in a small frown. Horus isn't making any sense; in what way could kissing him possibly not be memorable?]

It was in the way.

[Any attempt at kissing more deeply would have surely been foiled. It was an obstacle.]

[ he's teasing him. Horus reaches up to take Walter's off and sets them both on the floor next to him. ]

It was. Close your eyes.

[ He's about to get Frenched so long as he listens. Though Horus certainly doesn't know to call it that. ]

[Unmasked, Walter holds Horus' gaze for two seconds following, dark blue peering intently in a study of features before the obsidian of his lashes veil his closing eyes.

He does not know what is coming, but as he stands still on the snow-covered roof, he relaxes his limbs, choosing to trust.]

[ Trust will get him will rewarded. Horus cups his hand around Walter's cheek before he takes his lips again, his free hand posting against the wall behind the younger man as he takes his lips, this time immediately plunging his tongue into his mouth and ravaging it heatedly, exploring every nook and cranny until he's either enjoyed the whole of it or Walter runs out of breath and bades him release.]

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