one night of magic rush

[blyat]

WHO: Cain, Prompto, Hideki Maeda, and you!
WHERE: The popular Asylum club.
WHEN: Night of October 26.
WHAT: Cain and Prompto's joint birthdays!
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Beyond drinking/smoking, general wild party behavior, and fake friendship, there shouldn't be much. Will update as needed.


[Set deep in the downtown of New Amsterdam's entertainment district is Asylum, arguably the most popular club in the city. The exterior is cool steel beams and tasteful futuristic architecture with a long line down the corridor, suited bouncers posed at the entrance all armed with a virtual guest list. Its interior is fashioned with bright, colorful lighting dynamic to the music of the infamous DJ Semicolon, high ceilings and acoustic sounds to lend that feeling of a constant full-body hum. Any partygoers on the guest list for this event will be funneled toward the VIP section. They will have received an invitation a few days prior via their Cooltalk profiles. Jason is specifically blacklisted, sorry buddy.

DANCE YOUR HEART OUT. Nearly impossible to book without deep pockets or wide-reaching connections, Semicolon is at the top of their game mixing popular contemporary hits with Whitney Houston's classics. From song to song, Semicolon provides a unique and talented contrast of the slow to the energetic, so no matter your dancing style, you'll find something to move you on the dance floor.

DROWN YOUR... LIVER. Courtesy of the party's host, Hideki Maeda, the VIP section's private bar will provide an ever-flowing river of your favorite expensive high-proof alcohol. Pick your poison.

CHILL OUT. Tired on your feet from too much dancing, or just need a break from the packed atmosphere? There are plenty of comfortable areas where you can relax and take it easy until you're ready to get back out there. The lights around this area cycle through different colors in reflection of Semicolon's performance set, so a slower song might lend toward romantic shades of red while a faster-paced song is brighter blue.

SMOKE, EAT & MINGLE. Asylum will be serving real, fresh meat at this party, so enjoy that luxury while it lasts. There is also an outdoor area with a beautiful view over the city itself if you want to take your vape pen out there for a smoke, just get some air, or see who's around for a chat.]

Comments

001

[verselet]

[V on the dance floor. As much as one might think this is an anomaly (and they wouldn’t be incorrect, not really), it’s a blessing that awkwardness seems to slide right off of his person. He’s approaching Hideki and his… interesting dance style with a cane held under an arm, come to speak to the young man who was apparently a close friend of his new roommate.

Neon lights are a bright contrast to his clothing, done-up in all black. He pitches his voice louder to be heard over DJ Semicolon’s chosen track, booming a Whitney Houston remix onto the dance floor.]

Prompto wouldn’t shut up about this party.

[Meaning he was very excited on the way over, and V had to suffer through it.]

[amstrdm]

Is that so? [ Hideki takes in his new visitor with a look of disinterest. Why is he so skinny? ] Did he happen to tell you that canes are way, way out of style? It's tacky. But come on. [ He grabs V by the arm, dragging him in the direction of the food like an overeager, easily distracted child. ] It's obvious that Prompto doesn't have the money to feed you. Come, come. I'll put some weight on those bones of yours.

[verselet]

[Canes, out of style? As if he carries one to be fashionable? V already has a reply all queued up for that, but it's interrupted when Hideki grabs his (admittedly skinny) arm, dragging him forward to an open display of food nearby.

It's a miracle that he doesn't stumble, having to adjust his balance. The cane is utilized a few steps in for the sake of saving him from lurching into a graceless trip.]

Generous. [It comes out dryly, impossible to not sound that way.] But no, he's the one who gave me the cane. [Prompto, he means, to... you know. Help him walk.] Walking can sometimes be a chore for a man like me.

[amstrdm]

Ah, good thing, then! We can fix that today. [ No, V likely needs proper nutrition and a lot of time with a doctor to fix that, plus any number of other things. Hideki feels that feeding food to someone who clearly can't buy it for himself will do the trick. He begins to pile it onto the plate: slices of salami, delicious cured cheeses, a few pieces of spare ribs, and a dollop of mashed potatoes. He tops the mashed potatoes off with beautifully air fried green beans, and then presses the plate into V's chest. ]

You can't say no. I threw this party. [ He is used to getting his way. ]

[verselet]

[This is

so much food.

It’s instinct that has V balancing the plate with an arm when it’s shoved against his chest. The piled-on food doesn’t look bad, admittedly, but his innate weakness exists for deeper reasons than just malnutrition or an overall lacking constitution. Definitely beyond the means of what a single plate can fix.

But he’s getting the impression that this young man either doesn’t care, or isn’t given to believing such rational thinking. He looks up from the plate, giving Hideki an even stare, choosing what to say next.]

Is that so? Hideki, right? You don’t do things by halves for your friends, it would seem. ‘Great things are done when men and mountains meet’. Or in this case, a prominent DJ, plenty of food and drink, and a trifecta of converging birthdays.

[(Has made no move to eat anything yet.)]

[amstrdm]

Uhhhhh. [ V's lost him. It was before the word trifecta was used, but that may have done it, too. His vocabulary isn't terrible, but he would have sat there trying to count the birthdays that would come to three and end up failing. ]

Look. Are you a mountain climber? Because ... I can show you a place to scale a wall, I just don't think it's a good idea. You'll break.

[verselet]

[Oh. He's dumb.

At least, that's close to the realization that dawns on V, the nail in the coffin being when Hideki misconstrues his quote as an... interest in mountain climbing. For a moment, V's caught between trying to clarify (an option deemed useless and discarded almost immediately), going along with it, or severing himself from the conversation.]

...I might be more resilient than you think. [Decides not to touch the subject of mountain climbing at all.] I had to weave through the dance floor to find you, after all. That's a perilous task on its own, if you just take a look at how some of the people here are dancing.

[What if he leads the conversation instead...] So how long have you known Prompto and Cain?

[amstrdm]

You know, I met them not long before New Tokyo. [ For anyone keeping track: that's very recently. Hideki isn't the type to question this, though his mother likely will. ] They were — you know when you meet someone, and you just know you're bound? People don't like that stuff these days, but I knew it with them. [ He looks somewhat dreamy.

And then continues. ] Wait! So, you're here for Prompto ... are you some charity thing? He's a really good guy. [ Considering. ] Too nice! I'm wondering if I can change that. He shouldn't be lending out his shower, and it's clear you needed one recently. You're all ... [ He searches for the word, pulling back the plate. ]

You clearly can't afford to eat! That's it. Like, wow. You know the weird candle thing people do, right? To get free food? I'm surprised anyone bothers, but maybe you should try that instead of going after my friend's credits.

[verselet]

[V is more... patient as he is now, as opposed to how he used to be. But it's still difficult to abide by Hideki's willful ignorance of all he's saying; it isn't so much the slight against V's appearance as it is the assumption that he's a mere hanger-on. A parasite come to drain the resources of his new acquaintance, which represents a different sort of weakness that sets his nerves on edge.

The plate's pulled back, but he lets it slip from his grasp, having no care for its contents.]

There's something to be said about those who judge solely based on appearances.

[Likely something very unflattering, but V lets that hang there.]

I'm not a charity case. Believe it or not, I'm Prompto's new roommate. My presence here is because I was invited, not because I've been scrounging around for credits.

[amstrdm]

Wow, did I give that out? [ A disgusted sound. ] Well, I guess you can stay, but don't assume you'll be included in anything in the future! We don't want anyone pitying you because they misjudged your appearance.

[ Does he even know that he did that just now? ]

[verselet]

Prompto said I was welcome to attend.

[There’s the lingering feeling that arguing with Hideki will amount to nothing more than wasted time. Irritation abates only by a slight amount, and only because V allows himself a gesture.

Raising his cane and bumping its grip against Hideki’s shoulder in a prodding way—]

You mean like you just did?

[amstrdm]

I was! But then you did that. [ Spoiled, but never angry. He motions his hand up, and a couple security guards come forward. They don't look too imposing. ]

He got lost getting here! I said to not let the homeless inside. Escort him out.

[verselet]

[V blinks, in the lazy way a cat blinks when utterly unimpressed by its surroundings. He makes no other movement, other than to press his cane back down onto the ground, leaning his weight into it and huffing out dry air.

Imposing or not, it doesn't take much to physically overwhelm V. Not that he intends to do more than just stand here until ushered out officially.]

What thin skin. [Or maybe just what a spoiled brat.] Is self-awareness too harsh of a truth, or too big of an idea? [For that small brain!! Is the implication!!! Rude.]

[amstrdm]

[ Was V speaking? Hideki certainly doesn't seem to think so. He grabs a sausage off the plate and stuffs it in his mouth, savoring the taste. It's a good thing it didn't go to waste on someone ... like that. ]

[verselet]

[heckin rude

There's not much more to be said once security arrives, one of them clamping a firm hand on V's shoulder and telling him it's time for him to leave. A 'tsk' escapes V, but not much else, and he won't resist being escorted out, leaving Hideki without another word.

V WILL REMEMBER THAT]