Difference between revisions of "Logs:Haunting Decisions"
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− | Tabby was standing near Uma, who was eating an ice cream cone. "Have you ever had this sort of heightened self-awareness that involved the scent of chocolate causing you to salivate whilst your heart is having palpitations." The woman grimaced and searched back through the crowd towards one of the food vendors, "I think my funnel cake was dusted with crank. I mean it didn't taste like meth, though I can see how the speed in which I ate it may cause some confusion." She was dressed simply in a pair of jean shorts, her hiking boots, and black | + | Tabby was standing near Uma, who was eating an ice cream cone. "Have you ever had this sort of heightened self-awareness that involved the scent of chocolate causing you to salivate whilst your heart is having palpitations." The woman grimaced and searched back through the crowd towards one of the food vendors, "I think my funnel cake was dusted with crank. I mean it didn't taste like meth, though I can see how the speed in which I ate it may cause some confusion." She was dressed simply in a pair of jean shorts, her hiking boots, and black tank-top that hugged her form, and her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. "I may get a second one... Accept I'm an addict." |
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− | Tabby's eyes squinted as she regarded Uma, "I've already bought myself like two hundred | + | Tabby's eyes squinted as she regarded Uma, "I've already bought myself like two hundred sit ups with the first funnel cake, I go back for a second and add what I want: The next time I'm at the bench, I'll bring in boatloads of men with harpoons aimed at me..." Tabby shook her head slowly, her brows coming up as she looked towards the animal pen, "I never had the princess phase because I was the only girl and I was the youngest of my siblings. To papi, I am always the princess. To my mother, Cinderella needs to get back to the dishes and the laundry, because I needed to know how to do them right if I ever wanted a husband." Her jaws tightened, "My brothers don't even know which is the washer and which is the dryer. All four of them... Huevones" She shook her head slowly, and chuckle coming out of her as she watched the father toss her over his shoulder. She rose her hand at the elbow in way of greeting Felix and let it down again. "El Gato is here." Her eyes tracked his vision to Mindy and tilted her head, frowning. "I wear something like that, everyone just assumes I have a date with a gallon of rocky road... Mierda no es justo." |
− | Purple, gold, and | + | Purple, gold, and vermilion clouds grace the western sky as the sun descends toward the west. |
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− | Keegan dodges the father retreating with his wailing, flailing princess - the man with the 2-day scruff, full sleeve tattoos and the I <maple leaf> Toronto t-shirt juking right to avoid taking a tiny, regal shoe to the side of the head. He's wearing a ballcap, which, to anyone who knows him, is pretty standard attire, and a pair of charcoal cargo shorts that border on the tactical for the number of loops and pockets they boast. He whistles as he recovers from the near miss, the beer in his hand lofted an unspilled by some miracle of physics...and the whistle gets drawn out to some sort of low, nautical-esque extended | + | Keegan dodges the father retreating with his wailing, flailing princess - the man with the 2-day scruff, full sleeve tattoos and the I <maple leaf> Toronto t-shirt juking right to avoid taking a tiny, regal shoe to the side of the head. He's wearing a ballcap, which, to anyone who knows him, is pretty standard attire, and a pair of charcoal cargo shorts that border on the tactical for the number of loops and pockets they boast. He whistles as he recovers from the near miss, the beer in his hand lofted an unspilled by some miracle of physics...and the whistle gets drawn out to some sort of low, nautical-esque extended Doppler effect as the brown-haired woman in blue walks by. He actually does a 180-degree pivot to watch her pass...I mean to offer her a polite and respectful 'Aloha...' |
As Keegan's wits return, he catches other faces in the crowd, greeting Rick with one half of a high five and "Aloha, Brother, long time no see!" and he gives amiable nods to other faces he doesn't recognize - noting and acknowledging with an upnod fellow "art admirers" Bjorn and Felix. "You should eat it and enjoy it," he notes aside to Uma and Tabby with a lopsided grin, "appreciating the finer things in life is a beautiful quality." | As Keegan's wits return, he catches other faces in the crowd, greeting Rick with one half of a high five and "Aloha, Brother, long time no see!" and he gives amiable nods to other faces he doesn't recognize - noting and acknowledging with an upnod fellow "art admirers" Bjorn and Felix. "You should eat it and enjoy it," he notes aside to Uma and Tabby with a lopsided grin, "appreciating the finer things in life is a beautiful quality." | ||
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− | Felix's slightly | + | Felix's slightly embarrassed looking at having been caught well... looking... became a bright red face and a hard duck as Uma yelled at him from across the way. Which only got worse when he looked around and clearly realized no one would have known otherwise. Slapping his non-funnel cake hand over his face he waved back. "Aloha Uma! Tabby!" Grinning, he looked to Bjorn and nodded. "Any time you pass up the chance to get a funnel cake, God destroys a star. S'in Jubilees. How've you been Rick?" He looked to the man, raising an eyebrow at his odd gesture and peering at a likely Llama, the one princess had been riding. "You and me both buddy." Then Lu was there, walking with Mindy and he frowned a bit. "Wow. Where's the little guy with the airplane fetish?" Keegan's comment got a smile and he shrugged. "Oh hey man I'm right there with you." Then the fellow he'd been talking to went walking off and Felix frowned. "Damn... well... hey I never get in trouble for this." He started walking after, polishing off his funnel cake. |
− | By the time Bjorn took his eyes off Mindy, Tabby's gaze was waiting to meet his as her mouth formed the words 'I know'. She looked back to Uma and grimaced, "I don't want to think about her in a bikini because I'll just have to confine myself to sweatshirts and pants for the rest of my days. The island will take pity on me and let me die of heat exhaustion. We're just going to pretend it's all plastic and silicon..." The | + | By the time Bjorn took his eyes off Mindy, Tabby's gaze was waiting to meet his as her mouth formed the words 'I know'. She looked back to Uma and grimaced, "I don't want to think about her in a bikini because I'll just have to confine myself to sweatshirts and pants for the rest of my days. The island will take pity on me and let me die of heat exhaustion. We're just going to pretend it's all plastic and silicon..." The Latina stared at the man that put his arm around Mindy and the spilled drink, and Tabby pointedly sniffed the air. Her gaze moved to the Canadian. She chuckled and her eyes went back to Felix, "See Uma, you made an impression." |
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Now that the sun had sunk down to the horizon and left the world covered in stars overhead, the lights of the fair had come up fully. Things looked almost as bright as they had during the day, but now it was with the garish wash of electric blues, pinks, purples, teals, and yellows. People were still sliding down the huge inflatables, but most of the younger children were entirely gone, or at the very least heading out. Even the petting zoo was starting to close up for the night and the little ponies were being walked over to their trailer to head home. | Now that the sun had sunk down to the horizon and left the world covered in stars overhead, the lights of the fair had come up fully. Things looked almost as bright as they had during the day, but now it was with the garish wash of electric blues, pinks, purples, teals, and yellows. People were still sliding down the huge inflatables, but most of the younger children were entirely gone, or at the very least heading out. Even the petting zoo was starting to close up for the night and the little ponies were being walked over to their trailer to head home. | ||
− | Lu looked at Keegan with a smile that was easily 80 amusement and 20 intrigued, cocking his head to the side a little as he tugged gently on Mindy's dark hair. "Mindy, you have men coming up to defend your honor already. I figured this island would be a little more used to the sensual | + | Lu looked at Keegan with a smile that was easily 80 amusement and 20 intrigued, cocking his head to the side a little as he tugged gently on Mindy's dark hair. "Mindy, you have men coming up to defend your honor already. I figured this island would be a little more used to the sensual teasing of a beautiful woman." He looked back at Mindy and grinned, something wicked dancing in his bright blue eyes. "I'm sure you were hoping the same, but... sometimes, the sheer quality of someone that grabs the attention the way you do... well. It's not something you're going to escape, beautiful." He winked to Mindy and then looked back to Keegan, nodding to him. "White Knighting duly noted, buddy. Well done. I'm sure the lady will gladly give you her phone number at some point, if you happen to run into her again." |
Mindy let out a low sigh, reaching up to rub the droplet of blue drink from her chin, which somehow managed to roll perfectly back to her lips, and into her mouth, without leaving a stain behind on the skin of her face or her hand. "Maybe I was just hoping for a night without having to deal with the added attention you bring, Lu?" Mindy looked up at the tall, blond, man with a startlingly arresting smile. "Or maybe, I just wanted to see what it was like without you bringing the added attention. Just for a little bit, so I could feel like myself, instead of just another bauble you bring out for a sales pitch?" Mindy took another long pull from her drink, managing to swallow the whole mouthful this time, before she looked over at Keegan and gave him a smile that would have caused any nearby priest to rid himself of his vestments. "Thanks for coming up to help, but it's really alright. He's an inevitable part of my life, not a creeper trying to cop a feel in a laundromat." She winked to Keegan, still grinning, before she gave Lu a slated look. "At least, he's not doing that tonight." As Felix came up following Keegan, Mindy gave him the same, dazzling smile. | Mindy let out a low sigh, reaching up to rub the droplet of blue drink from her chin, which somehow managed to roll perfectly back to her lips, and into her mouth, without leaving a stain behind on the skin of her face or her hand. "Maybe I was just hoping for a night without having to deal with the added attention you bring, Lu?" Mindy looked up at the tall, blond, man with a startlingly arresting smile. "Or maybe, I just wanted to see what it was like without you bringing the added attention. Just for a little bit, so I could feel like myself, instead of just another bauble you bring out for a sales pitch?" Mindy took another long pull from her drink, managing to swallow the whole mouthful this time, before she looked over at Keegan and gave him a smile that would have caused any nearby priest to rid himself of his vestments. "Thanks for coming up to help, but it's really alright. He's an inevitable part of my life, not a creeper trying to cop a feel in a laundromat." She winked to Keegan, still grinning, before she gave Lu a slated look. "At least, he's not doing that tonight." As Felix came up following Keegan, Mindy gave him the same, dazzling smile. | ||
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− | Tabby shook her head in response to Bjorn, "Oh no. It is always a competition, it's just a matter of whether it needs to devolve into a | + | Tabby shook her head in response to Bjorn, "Oh no. It is always a competition, it's just a matter of whether it needs to devolve into a blood-sport or not." She gestured to herself, "I feel better now, because I can focus on the spil--" Her words froze in her throat as she raised her index finger and closed her eyes, "Eso es pura paja..." When her eyes reopened, they were on Uma, "Everyone owns a pair of sweatpants or scrubs, some sort of clothes just to be comfortable in a judgment-free zone. And yes, it's the job of bodyguards to bring that dose of reality. Like me deciding if a cat is stalking you, and whether I will have to neuter him on the spot. But you don't need to know about the internal debates, because that mierda is my head all the time." |
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The lights of the haunted house came up brighter, and creepy music started playing from it loudly as the front door opened and the people lining up outside started to be allowed in. Screams of surprise, startlement, and a couple of downright fright came from deep within the structure, but when people exited the building they were laughing, for the most part. Some of them still look a little shook up. | The lights of the haunted house came up brighter, and creepy music started playing from it loudly as the front door opened and the people lining up outside started to be allowed in. Screams of surprise, startlement, and a couple of downright fright came from deep within the structure, but when people exited the building they were laughing, for the most part. Some of them still look a little shook up. | ||
− | Lu threw his head back and laughed, enjoying the hell out of the joke, and possibly even out of the sidelong glances he was given as Keegan and Felix made their way to the nearest Arthurian table they could find | + | Lu threw his head back and laughed, enjoying the hell out of the joke, and possibly even out of the sidelong glances he was given as Keegan and Felix made their way to the nearest Arthurian table they could find resplendent with ale. The laugh was downright touchable, like velvet moving through the senses, rich and heady with texture. When he looked back down at Mindy he just raised his brows. "You never cease to amaze me, my dear girl. And you never will." He winked at her, but then turned his gaze sharply toward the entrance of the haunted house. "Ah, my real reason for being here, I'm afraid, has little to do with you, lovely girl. But I'll come by your bar later tonight for a night cap." He squeezed Mindy's shoulders once in what seemed a fond, half-hug, then unwound his arm from around her shoulders and started toward the entrance of the haunted house, completely bypassing the line and heading right to the front door. |
− | Mindy couldn't seem to help herself and smiled widely when she heard Lu laughing, her head shaking as she gave a little cough to avoid falling into laughter herself. And she wasn't alone, many of the people nearby looked over with wide smiles on their faces, somewhat dimly unaware of why they were smiling or laughing along with the tall, blonde man in white. When Lu mentioned having another purpose for being here, though, Mindy stilled entirely and stared at the haunted house that Lu left her for. "Wait, Lu... WAIT. No." Worry laced itself through her words and she forced herself to walk after him. Somehow, every time she reached out to try to grab him and stop him from moving toward the building, Lu managed to avoid her hands getting | + | Mindy couldn't seem to help herself and smiled widely when she heard Lu laughing, her head shaking as she gave a little cough to avoid falling into laughter herself. And she wasn't alone, many of the people nearby looked over with wide smiles on their faces, somewhat dimly unaware of why they were smiling or laughing along with the tall, blonde man in white. When Lu mentioned having another purpose for being here, though, Mindy stilled entirely and stared at the haunted house that Lu left her for. "Wait, Lu... WAIT. No." Worry laced itself through her words and she forced herself to walk after him. Somehow, every time she reached out to try to grab him and stop him from moving toward the building, Lu managed to avoid her hands getting a hold of him, even though it didn't look like he was dodging. It was just his natural movements and gait that kept him free from her hindrance as he made his way up to the door. As they went, Mindy's pleading became more obvious, "No, please, Lu. Please. Not tonight? Not now? Just... Tomorrow?" Her breath came faster as she tried to rush after him, but the man just seemed to inexorably keep ahead of her and out of reach. |
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− | As Lu and Mindy were coming closer to the Haunted House, another group of people were allowed in. They all looked happy, bubbly, somewhere in their 20's, and the youthful stage of their 20's at all. They were a bunch of white kids, that had likely made it here on some sort of trip post graduation. Who knew? One of the boys called out to one of the girls "Marilee! Come on! You can hold my hand. It's not all that scary, I promise!" And a rather pretty, simply dressed young lady managed to offer a wan smile to the young man. She was pale, and kept glancing around like she was expecting a monster to pop out of the ground. "Ok, Ok. I'll go. What's the worst that could happen, right?" Her voice was even a little | + | As Lu and Mindy were coming closer to the Haunted House, another group of people were allowed in. They all looked happy, bubbly, somewhere in their 20's, and the youthful stage of their 20's at all. They were a bunch of white kids, that had likely made it here on some sort of trip post graduation. Who knew? One of the boys called out to one of the girls "Marilee! Come on! You can hold my hand. It's not all that scary, I promise!" And a rather pretty, simply dressed young lady managed to offer a wan smile to the young man. She was pale, and kept glancing around like she was expecting a monster to pop out of the ground. "Ok, Ok. I'll go. What's the worst that could happen, right?" Her voice was even a little quavery. But she finally followed in and managed to make it with her group, entering the haunted house before Mindy and Lu got to the front porch. |
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− | Tabby batted Bjorn's shoulder with the back of her hand as she scowled at the giant, then she broke into a chuckle. "Not everyone has learned that lesson. The average American learns it in their late teens to early twenties. The non-white population like five years earlier. Canadians... Like it takes like forever. Some Canadian man is still like suiting up in armor, so he can have an apology joust or something. Anyway..." The | + | Tabby batted Bjorn's shoulder with the back of her hand as she scowled at the giant, then she broke into a chuckle. "Not everyone has learned that lesson. The average American learns it in their late teens to early twenties. The non-white population like five years earlier. Canadians... Like it takes like forever. Some Canadian man is still like suiting up in armor, so he can have an apology joust or something. Anyway..." The Latina shook her head disapprovingly, glancing up at Bjorn, "You have a pair of breakup pants?" A laughter passed her lips before she sighed it away, a bit merriment making it to her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, looking to Keegan. "Don't confuse security guards with bodyguards. Security guards are the ones at the mall. Bodyguards are the ones that have to fit in their bullet/stab resistant vests so the bullet doesn't pass through them completely and hit their client. Unless their fifth or sixth funnel cake is maintaining six feet of fat, they're not even a good wall." Her dark brown eyes moved back to the exchange between Mindy and Lu as she sniffed the air. Maybe she has a cold. "And that, ladies and gentleman, is genuine fear." Tabby broke into a rapidly muttered sequence of Spanish curse words as she crossed out of the group to head towards the haunted house. |
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− | Tabby walked straight up along side the line without so much of a glance to the individuals in line. Her eyes were locked on the two operators at the front of the Haunted House. Her jaw tightened for a split second before she started into them, "How did neither of you see the woman following the man in white showing obvious signs of distress before she was inside, pleading with the man? One of you call security right now before the situation gets out of hand and everyone and their mother starts tossing threats of lawsuits around. And move out of my fucking way." The | + | Tabby walked straight up along side the line without so much of a glance to the individuals in line. Her eyes were locked on the two operators at the front of the Haunted House. Her jaw tightened for a split second before she started into them, "How did neither of you see the woman following the man in white showing obvious signs of distress before she was inside, pleading with the man? One of you call security right now before the situation gets out of hand and everyone and their mother starts tossing threats of lawsuits around. And move out of my fucking way." The Latina didn't pause for one second to get their response as she headed in after them. |
+ | *To see what happened to Tabby as she made her way through the haunted house, read her part here: [[Logs:Haunting Decisions - Tabby|Tabby's Journey]] | ||
The tide is low and ebbing. | The tide is low and ebbing. | ||
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− | Uma watched as Tabby barrelled her way into the haunted house, eyes wide. "Well, alrighty then!" She laughed and looked at the doorman as he stared in shock as Tabby went right past them. She leaned in against him and patted his harm, hip bumping him. "Don't worry, she's such a femmenazi, right? I'm sure that chick's totally OK, she didn't like, scream for help or anything. But you know? Sometimes they just don't have enough of a voice left to scream with after the life's been choked out of them. Maybe she's right, and you should call someone." And then, Uma gave the dude a | + | Uma watched as Tabby barrelled her way into the haunted house, eyes wide. "Well, alrighty then!" She laughed and looked at the doorman as he stared in shock as Tabby went right past them. She leaned in against him and patted his harm, hip bumping him. "Don't worry, she's such a femmenazi, right? I'm sure that chick's totally OK, she didn't like, scream for help or anything. But you know? Sometimes they just don't have enough of a voice left to scream with after the life's been choked out of them. Maybe she's right, and you should call someone." And then, Uma gave the dude a chocolatey-lipped kiss on the cheek, before patting the other one gently with the palm of her hand. How on earth her ice cream ended up in the grass behind the porch would be anyone's guess. As she stepped down off of the porch, though, she flashed the palmed set of keys at the forms of the incoming Keegan, Felix, Rick, and Bjorn. "Come on lads, I saw a place with freaking banana splits this way." She jerked her thumb toward the side of the building and started that way, toward the back door, careful not the let the hard won keys jangle. |
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− | As Uma makes her way and | + | As Uma makes her way and the others start to follow, Bjorn decides to follow suit, assuming something is most likely up as it were. He looks like he might have something witty to add, but really everyone else seems to have it covered so he has another sip of his beer and follows behind the others. A brief glance at the entrance, but then he's along with them to see what Uma has up her sleeve, so to speak. |
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− | Once inside, the building looks almost like any other building. The gentleman and lady seem to be in a mud room, about 15 feet long by 15 feet wide, square, with a few trunks in it and shelves along the walls. The only difference between this mudroom and the rest that they might have entered into before? This one is filled with items of the macabre. Masks, chainsaws, vats of fake blood. Replacement | + | Once inside, the building looks almost like any other building. The gentleman and lady seem to be in a mud room, about 15 feet long by 15 feet wide, square, with a few trunks in it and shelves along the walls. The only difference between this mudroom and the rest that they might have entered into before? This one is filled with items of the macabre. Masks, chainsaws, vats of fake blood. Replacement light bulbs. Creepy dolls. Strange capes, a couple of different figures that looked like they belonged in The Blair Witch project. Some freaky mannequins that had been dismembered, covered in fake blood and gore, and stored in a soccer ball bag that had once been yellow and was now a rust-red color from stain. The room also smells kind of like sickly sweet peppermint and mineral spirits. There's a door that leads to the next room, on the door a plaque that reads 'IN COSTUME ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT!' |
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− | As the group moves into the hallway of blackness and doom, they are saved from having to look at horror vignettes by choosing to move to the door marked 'FRONT'. As they go into that door, it takes them to a 'behind the wall' area, obviously designed for those that worked inside the Haunted House. The area was filled with a plethora of spare mannequins in all manner of positions. They could see through the wall, as it was actually a plexiglass 'wall' with an obvious | + | As the group moves into the hallway of blackness and doom, they are saved from having to look at horror vignettes by choosing to move to the door marked 'FRONT'. As they go into that door, it takes them to a 'behind the wall' area, obviously designed for those that worked inside the Haunted House. The area was filled with a plethora of spare mannequins in all manner of positions. They could see through the wall, as it was actually a plexiglass 'wall' with an obvious door frame leading into the open, rectangular room. |
Through the wall, in the main room, the floor was filled with mannequins all set up in various positions of contortion. The creepy thing, though? Some of them moved. They definitely weren't alive, but some of them were mechanized to randomly move an arm, or a leg, turn a head. Flutter eyelashes. | Through the wall, in the main room, the floor was filled with mannequins all set up in various positions of contortion. The creepy thing, though? Some of them moved. They definitely weren't alive, but some of them were mechanized to randomly move an arm, or a leg, turn a head. Flutter eyelashes. | ||
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− | Rick moves along at a good clip, stopping only to confer with his companions about which door to go through, in a classic case of the blind leading the blind. Once they get into the room and are able to what's happening on the other side of the wall, though, Rick's eyes widen a little bit, and he calls, "Hey!" Though that may not do much good from behind a wall. He starts toward the | + | Rick moves along at a good clip, stopping only to confer with his companions about which door to go through, in a classic case of the blind leading the blind. Once they get into the room and are able to what's happening on the other side of the wall, though, Rick's eyes widen a little bit, and he calls, "Hey!" Though that may not do much good from behind a wall. He starts toward the door frame, "Leave her alone!" |
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− | Felix was hot on the heels of the rest, moving with the others to the front section. Spotting the four through the | + | Felix was hot on the heels of the rest, moving with the others to the front section. Spotting the four through the plexiglass he was quick to chase after Keegan, pulling his mask off so he didn't look like a total lunatic and get shot or screamed at. "Just be cool and... maybe back away from her dude?" He looked to Lu. "Not liking girls crying aside, this looks crazy skeevy." |
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− | Looking more than a bit lost at the conversation going on | + | Looking more than a bit lost at the conversation going on between Lu, Mindy, Keegan and the rest, Felix had come to a pause behind his charging in friend. "I... yeah I've got no idea what's going on, but no I don't like ladies crying. And I don't much care for Montleban over there." He jerked his head at Lu. "Frankly everything here seems twelve kinds of wrong." |
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− | Uma stilled slightly, watching the situation. When Tabby mentioned it being time for | + | Uma stilled slightly, watching the situation. When Tabby mentioned it being time for Cinderella to hit midnight, she blinked, then looked up at Bjorn and shook her head. "I don't seriously know, but Cinderella turned into the poor girl again at midnight, right? So... Maybe she's about to lose all of her money and her carriage is about to become a pumpkin. All her footmen are going to go back to being mice." She shifted a little closer to Bjorn and leaned against him, morbid fascination taking over as she watched the girl talking to herself in the mirror. "I mean... I don't remember Cinderella talking to herself in the mirror so much. And I don't see a prince, so you know, I'm sure Tabby meant it allegorically." |
Mindy sighed and nodded, looking at Keegan and shrugging her shoulders softly. "If I had more to drink I'd offer you some, man. But... There's not enough alcohol in the world, really. Just chill, sit back, this shit happens whether he's here or not, and at least he's here. It's less confusing that way. Less scary." Mindy rubbed the back of her hand against her jawline, then looked at the girl who was continuing to talk to herself in the mirror. She glanced at Felix and raised her brows. "Montleban, huh? Nah, and the girl made herself cry. So, you know, if you want to comfort her or something go for it. But everyone makes their own choices. The good and the bad." | Mindy sighed and nodded, looking at Keegan and shrugging her shoulders softly. "If I had more to drink I'd offer you some, man. But... There's not enough alcohol in the world, really. Just chill, sit back, this shit happens whether he's here or not, and at least he's here. It's less confusing that way. Less scary." Mindy rubbed the back of her hand against her jawline, then looked at the girl who was continuing to talk to herself in the mirror. She glanced at Felix and raised her brows. "Montleban, huh? Nah, and the girl made herself cry. So, you know, if you want to comfort her or something go for it. But everyone makes their own choices. The good and the bad." | ||
− | Lu seemed to have some sort of internal clock, and he watched, waiting. Lifting his hand, just as 3 minutes came to pass, he snapped his fingers. There wasn't some sort of strange, brilliant flash or anything so | + | Lu seemed to have some sort of internal clock, and he watched, waiting. Lifting his hand, just as 3 minutes came to pass, he snapped his fingers. There wasn't some sort of strange, brilliant flash or anything so gouache. Instead, the girl's voice stopped, and her crying slowed. She still looked like herself, even as she wiped away her tears. Turning around, she stared at Lu, her pretty, previously gentle brown eyes, going hard and cold. "Leave her in that bed. She can rot there. Forever. The next time she comes to you for this, you come to me first, and I'll make you a far sweeter deal, you disastrous bastard." The girl turned those frigid eyes to the people in the room, then promptly started walking out, looking a little at a lack for coordination. Her legs moved oddly, like she wasn't used to their length, and she bumped into several mannequins on the way out, sending them falling to the floor or spinning on their anchor points. |
Lu sighed softly and shook his head. "Well then, another day, another dollar. Mindy? Let's go get that nightcap." He looked over at Keegan, Felix, Uma and Bjorn, then at the departing Tabby. "Take care all, and do be safe. There are all manner of terrible decisions made at night, especially when you're feeling uppity." He smiled to the group in general, then offered Mindy his arm, which she took, so they could start walking out, following the same path that Tabby had pioneered on her entrance, and exit. | Lu sighed softly and shook his head. "Well then, another day, another dollar. Mindy? Let's go get that nightcap." He looked over at Keegan, Felix, Uma and Bjorn, then at the departing Tabby. "Take care all, and do be safe. There are all manner of terrible decisions made at night, especially when you're feeling uppity." He smiled to the group in general, then offered Mindy his arm, which she took, so they could start walking out, following the same path that Tabby had pioneered on her entrance, and exit. | ||
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− | Felix listened as Tabby gave an explanation, or as much of one as they were going to get. Certainly nothing that Felix truly understood. Despite Uma's assurances, he only nodded vageuly, looking frankly | + | Felix listened as Tabby gave an explanation, or as much of one as they were going to get. Certainly nothing that Felix truly understood. Despite Uma's assurances, he only nodded vageuly, looking frankly stupefied when the girl seemed to undergo some sort of change. He tilted his head sideways, brow furrowing. "What the actual fuck...?" He watched the woman leave on unsteady legs, looking back to the group. "I don't... what?" He frowned and put a hand on Keegan's shoulder, stepping aside for Mindy and Lu, memorizing both of their faces. "Yeah maybe we should get out of here... this was... I think I could use that drink though." |
− | Tabby didn't pause long enough to wait to see what happened to the girl, because this was decidedly not her business. Instead, she navigated back through the haunted house to get out. When she did notice the lovely couple behind her, she lifted her hand so it appeared over her shoulder, right next to her ponytail and the base of her scarred neck, and she extended her middle finger. "You two putas ever raise up a cop killer, I'll make sure it looks like a fox made it into the | + | Tabby didn't pause long enough to wait to see what happened to the girl, because this was decidedly not her business. Instead, she navigated back through the haunted house to get out. When she did notice the lovely couple behind her, she lifted her hand so it appeared over her shoulder, right next to her ponytail and the base of her scarred neck, and she extended her middle finger. "You two putas ever raise up a cop killer, I'll make sure it looks like a fox made it into the hen house." She never looked back as she kept on walking through the haunted house to the eventual exit. |
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− | Uma gaped slightly at the total change of personality, and then even further the change of how the girl carried herself as she walked away. Blinking, she looked up at Bjorn and raised her brows high. "I have no idea what I was expecting, but I got absolutely none of it. She seemed... OK?" Nodding her agreement at the whole concept of food and drink, though, Uma motioned toward the direction Tabby left. "I'm going to catch up to Tabby and get something to eat and drink, now. Maybe we can call on that | + | Uma gaped slightly at the total change of personality, and then even further the change of how the girl carried herself as she walked away. Blinking, she looked up at Bjorn and raised her brows high. "I have no idea what I was expecting, but I got absolutely none of it. She seemed... OK?" Nodding her agreement at the whole concept of food and drink, though, Uma motioned toward the direction Tabby left. "I'm going to catch up to Tabby and get something to eat and drink, now. Maybe we can call on that rain check now instead of a week from now?" She looked at Bjorn again, and nodded. "Oh, good idea. Out the way we came. I need to throw that guy's keys behind him somewhere." She turned and left through the secreted doorway that led back to the service entrance at the back of the haunted house, moving pretty quickly, actually, because she had to manage to catch up to Tabby out the front. |
Latest revision as of 09:45, 27 January 2018
Haunting Decisions | |
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Mindy finds Lu is on Oahu, and he's still working hard as ever. | |
Dramatis Personae
Bjorn, Felix, Keegan, Rick, Tabby, and Uma. Loa as GM. NPCs: Lu, Mindy |
25 October, 2008 Lu seems to have come to Oahu to do his thing. |
Location
Kailua Beach, Kailua Seaside Fair, Windward Coast |
Plot(s) |
It's an absolutely GORGEOUS autumn day, really. People are out enjoying the fair, lots of people waiting in lines for the inflatables. Lots of people eating food. The petting zoo is filled with kids and there are children aplenty riding little ponies. As the afternoon draws closer to the evening, the younger kids have started to head home while more people in the teen-ages and even more adults on dates have begun to arrive. The haunted house doesn't open til after dark, after all.
Saying such a confection could get messy was an understatement, but Uma seemed to be quite happy with her spumoni treat and ate away at it with a spoon in one hand, idly licking errant rivulets of melting strawberry or pistachio ice cream off the chocolate glaze of her cone when necessary. Uma nodded to Tabby, grinning. "You should go for a second one, with everything you could ever want on it, and then we can go swimming in the ocean to wash you off after." Something caught Uma's attention, then, and she nudged the other woman with her elbow while she was midway through taking a bite of her treat. "TABBY!" Uma swallowed a bite of icecream, coughed a little, then pointed with her spoon. "OH M Y GOOOOOD, do you see that little girl in the pink tutu climbing on the llama?!" Delight was obvious as Uma gave a bout of laughter. "I would SO have ridden a llama when I was in my princess phase." Uma was dressed to be out and about, so in Hawaii, that meant easily removed layers. Comfy, aquamarine, flip-flop style sandals were easily settled on her feet, but her long legs were bare until the thigh-brushing hemline of her strapless, aquamarine, sundress. It fit her comfortably as it could, but hugged in certain places that left little to no guessing required to determine whether or not the woman wearing the dress needed a bra. Of course, it being Oahu, her bra had been replaced by the presence of a bikini top in virulent pink, the straps of which wrapped behind her neck and fastened securely. Ties are only OK if you're OK losing your top, and this was a family type adventure. Uma's long, brown, hair had been pulled back into a French braid, so it didn't risk inhabiting her ice cream with errant strands.
In the petting zoo, kids were being collected by parents. Naturally, the little girl in the pink tutu was being taken off of the back of a llama, and she was none too pleased with it. The screams and kicking were indicative of her plight, even as her dad hoisted her up and tossed the little girl over his broad shoulder, blushing and apologizing, as he took his daughter away from the distractions of docile animals so she'd hopefully take a nap after the long day at the fair. More children left, more couples and teenagers filtered into the fair as they did so. The crowd was definitely shifting, as now all of those people sliding down the massive, inflatable, inflatable, slides definitely ranged in the 16-30 ages, and the laughter was as much filled with drunken key notes as it was elation for the rush of the tall, watery, chutes.
Mindy shook her head and coughed as the man came up and put his arm around her, bright blue alcohol dribbling down her chin onto her pale blue tank top. Somehow, instead of looking messy, the splotch formed into a perfect heart with feathered edges, and looked like it had meant to be there, all along. "Dammit, Lu. You can't even give me a couple of months?" Her voice held no real accent, but then again neither did his. They spoke English, and it was well enunciated, but neither of them gave any hint as to where they could be from originally. Almost like they'd cultivated the non-accent many quality news anchors come to call on. As a note, though, where Lu's voice almost dripped with some sort of dangerous, beguiling sexual overtone, Mindy's was almost pure sex itself. The stuff you pay 3.99 a minute to talk to. Just to hear it say hello.
As Keegan's wits return, he catches other faces in the crowd, greeting Rick with one half of a high five and "Aloha, Brother, long time no see!" and he gives amiable nods to other faces he doesn't recognize - noting and acknowledging with an upnod fellow "art admirers" Bjorn and Felix. "You should eat it and enjoy it," he notes aside to Uma and Tabby with a lopsided grin, "appreciating the finer things in life is a beautiful quality." But the interaction between the man in white and the woman in blue catches Keegan's attention, and the tension in his jaw causes hard lines to crease his youthful features. "Goddammit. This always gets me in trouble." His inner debate is short-lived, and he crosses to the sultry-voiced pair. "Evening. Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but the lady doesn't seem to be happy to see you, friend." He gives the blonde man the eye, his jaw taking on a hint of a pugnacious outward jut as he folds his arms across his chest.
Lu looked at Keegan with a smile that was easily 80 amusement and 20 intrigued, cocking his head to the side a little as he tugged gently on Mindy's dark hair. "Mindy, you have men coming up to defend your honor already. I figured this island would be a little more used to the sensual teasing of a beautiful woman." He looked back at Mindy and grinned, something wicked dancing in his bright blue eyes. "I'm sure you were hoping the same, but... sometimes, the sheer quality of someone that grabs the attention the way you do... well. It's not something you're going to escape, beautiful." He winked to Mindy and then looked back to Keegan, nodding to him. "White Knighting duly noted, buddy. Well done. I'm sure the lady will gladly give you her phone number at some point, if you happen to run into her again." Mindy let out a low sigh, reaching up to rub the droplet of blue drink from her chin, which somehow managed to roll perfectly back to her lips, and into her mouth, without leaving a stain behind on the skin of her face or her hand. "Maybe I was just hoping for a night without having to deal with the added attention you bring, Lu?" Mindy looked up at the tall, blond, man with a startlingly arresting smile. "Or maybe, I just wanted to see what it was like without you bringing the added attention. Just for a little bit, so I could feel like myself, instead of just another bauble you bring out for a sales pitch?" Mindy took another long pull from her drink, managing to swallow the whole mouthful this time, before she looked over at Keegan and gave him a smile that would have caused any nearby priest to rid himself of his vestments. "Thanks for coming up to help, but it's really alright. He's an inevitable part of my life, not a creeper trying to cop a feel in a laundromat." She winked to Keegan, still grinning, before she gave Lu a slated look. "At least, he's not doing that tonight." As Felix came up following Keegan, Mindy gave him the same, dazzling smile.
Lu threw his head back and laughed, enjoying the hell out of the joke, and possibly even out of the sidelong glances he was given as Keegan and Felix made their way to the nearest Arthurian table they could find resplendent with ale. The laugh was downright touchable, like velvet moving through the senses, rich and heady with texture. When he looked back down at Mindy he just raised his brows. "You never cease to amaze me, my dear girl. And you never will." He winked at her, but then turned his gaze sharply toward the entrance of the haunted house. "Ah, my real reason for being here, I'm afraid, has little to do with you, lovely girl. But I'll come by your bar later tonight for a night cap." He squeezed Mindy's shoulders once in what seemed a fond, half-hug, then unwound his arm from around her shoulders and started toward the entrance of the haunted house, completely bypassing the line and heading right to the front door. Mindy couldn't seem to help herself and smiled widely when she heard Lu laughing, her head shaking as she gave a little cough to avoid falling into laughter herself. And she wasn't alone, many of the people nearby looked over with wide smiles on their faces, somewhat dimly unaware of why they were smiling or laughing along with the tall, blonde man in white. When Lu mentioned having another purpose for being here, though, Mindy stilled entirely and stared at the haunted house that Lu left her for. "Wait, Lu... WAIT. No." Worry laced itself through her words and she forced herself to walk after him. Somehow, every time she reached out to try to grab him and stop him from moving toward the building, Lu managed to avoid her hands getting a hold of him, even though it didn't look like he was dodging. It was just his natural movements and gait that kept him free from her hindrance as he made his way up to the door. As they went, Mindy's pleading became more obvious, "No, please, Lu. Please. Not tonight? Not now? Just... Tomorrow?" Her breath came faster as she tried to rush after him, but the man just seemed to inexorably keep ahead of her and out of reach.
He gives the retreating Lu and Mindy a hard scrutiny, and catches sight of Marilee and her young gentleman heading into the haunted house. "Not your problem, man, let it go," he tells himself with a shake of his head, and waits to hear how many beers he's buying as he ruffles through the cash in his wallet.
The tide is low and ebbing.
Tabby, of course, was now inside the Haunted House while everyone else was still outside. The guys at the front door seemed to be debating among themselves whether they should call someone, while the dude that Uma had laid the chocolatey kiss on was busy trying to wipe the stuff off of his cheek.
Through the wall, in the main room, the floor was filled with mannequins all set up in various positions of contortion. The creepy thing, though? Some of them moved. They definitely weren't alive, but some of them were mechanized to randomly move an arm, or a leg, turn a head. Flutter eyelashes. Toward the back of the very large room, opposite the plexiglass wall, stood Lu, Mindy, and the young girl from out front, Marilee. Lu had his hand on Marilee's shoulder, talking to her quietly, while the girl cried and held her face in her hands. Mindy stood by, looking down at the ground, forlornly watching as she tried to suck more alcohol up through her straw and came up empty. The sounds of the moving mannequins were somewhat overwhelmed by a steady 'TICK TOCK TICK TOCK' that just kept sounding, and of course, by the screams of people inside the haunted house.
Lu glanced up as if he'd noticed something, then just shook his head, turning his full attention back to Marilee. "You have 3 minutes. That's it. Make good use of it, make your peace. Then it'll be done." He smiled to the young woman, watching her cry, rubbing her shoulder. His voice wasn't harsh, wasn't angry, and there was nothing untoward about the touch, he wasn't throttling her. Marilee continued to cry, nodding her head. She patted Lu's hand, at which point he took it away, and then the girl turned to face the mirror-like surface of the plexiglass wall. On this side, you guessed it, it just looked like a giant, wall-sized, mirror. She stared at the mirror and began speaking in a rapid, hurried rush. "I'm so proud of you, you've done so well, I'm so glad I got to be here for it. Just keep moving forward on the path, you'll be fine. Everything will be fine my baby. Everything. You just needed this little bit of help, but I know you'll do JUST FINE now."
Lu seemed to have some sort of internal clock, and he watched, waiting. Lifting his hand, just as 3 minutes came to pass, he snapped his fingers. There wasn't some sort of strange, brilliant flash or anything so gouache. Instead, the girl's voice stopped, and her crying slowed. She still looked like herself, even as she wiped away her tears. Turning around, she stared at Lu, her pretty, previously gentle brown eyes, going hard and cold. "Leave her in that bed. She can rot there. Forever. The next time she comes to you for this, you come to me first, and I'll make you a far sweeter deal, you disastrous bastard." The girl turned those frigid eyes to the people in the room, then promptly started walking out, looking a little at a lack for coordination. Her legs moved oddly, like she wasn't used to their length, and she bumped into several mannequins on the way out, sending them falling to the floor or spinning on their anchor points. Lu sighed softly and shook his head. "Well then, another day, another dollar. Mindy? Let's go get that nightcap." He looked over at Keegan, Felix, Uma and Bjorn, then at the departing Tabby. "Take care all, and do be safe. There are all manner of terrible decisions made at night, especially when you're feeling uppity." He smiled to the group in general, then offered Mindy his arm, which she took, so they could start walking out, following the same path that Tabby had pioneered on her entrance, and exit.
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