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

[girlcorrupted]

It...certainly makes a statement.

[ A good or bad statement? That's up for Cain to decide. Angel lets herself be steered, though she puts purposeful space between them, untrusting. ]

A friend of the other host, Able. Do you know him?

[ Sure, in her spare time between her new job and trying to arrange for a place to live Angel has been doing what she considers her due-diligence and researching all the other displaced- their social media presence, what Morning Star has in their files- learning and absorbing as much as she can...however, that data is incomplete, and she hasn't gotten to Cain's information yet.

tl;dr she has no idea who shes talking toooooo ]

[blyat]

Do I know Abel?

[There's a slight drawl to the words, not out of inebriation but because he's toying around with how to answer. They've yet to discuss anything about labels or definitions, and Cain's fine with how they're going about it now -- he's leaned toward secrecy more out of habit than anything. Better than having what they are smeared across social media and misconstrued knowing his current Cooltalk spotlight, all thanks to Hideki. Sometimes it's difficult to suppress that urge to grab and kiss him in front of everyone, fuck whatever people think. Not that he will.

Cain seeks out the familiar head of pale hair over the crowd, some distance from the dance floor and seated at one of the VIP tables alone. Has to fight the urge to fetch him. Instead, he levels his attention back on Angel.]

You could say that. He's cute, isn't he? [Okay, maybe some of the alcohol has his tongue.] How'd you meet him?

[girlcorrupted]

I, um, suppose? I wouldn't be the right person to ask.

[ No experience, in that regard. Never given the time to consider interpersonal relationships beyond who was a mark and who could be disregarded, never a good idea to get attached. ]

He was one of the Displaced I arrived with. He...

[ Showed me how to do the ultimate beginners task of preparing a microwave meal! Uhg, too embarrassing. ]

Helped me out with some tasks I was unfamiliar with.

[blyat]

[Well, that's vague, but Cain slides right past it. He knows Abel's willing and helpful attitude well. It had served to thaw through his own contempt and jaded attitude toward the world.]

Yeah, he's nice like that.

[A small, secret little smile which is soon hidden behind a sip of the neglected drink in his hand.]

So you're one of the newbies, huh? What do you think of this place so far? Different from what you're used to, way better, or the worst fucking shithole you've ever seen? Everyone's got an opinion.

[girlcorrupted]

How do you know him?

[ This is someone familiar enough to make generalized statements about him at least.

Angel feigns interest in her drink again as Cain goes on, laughing before she answers, though it's clearly strained. ]

Wow, you're full of questions, huh?

[blyat]

Isn't that how you get to know a stranger?

[He sounds sly about it, but it's not insincere. Even if building friendships in this place has been a staggering mountain of a challenge for Cain, he has managed it.]

And yeah, he's my Navigator. Name's Cain.

[So, there's that.]

[girlcorrupted]

Generally people ask one question at a time for optimal results. At least in my experience.

[ She's speaking bluntly, but her tone is causal, not instigating or putting down Cain's approach...aggressive as it is. Then comes the answer to her question and everything else clicks into place. ]

Oh! Um...pardon me, I didn't realize I was speaking to one of the men of the hour. I'm still familiarizing myself with the database on all of the Displaced. I suppose you're just not what I visualized when Able spoke of you.

[blyat]

[He gives a vague shrug, not keen to take on that title of man on the hour. It's true, and he's had to play that charismatic game of going around the party, absorbing celebration and attention and returning greetings, taking pictures, whatever. But it's not what he would have picked for himself for a birthday.]

Oh yeah? What did he say?

[Curious to know how Abel talks about him, maybe.]

Sorry for whacky formatting I'm tagging mobile

[girlcorrupted]

[ Angel lets that question hang for a moment as she considers her words carefully. From what she's gathered Cain is one of the few if not the only person from Able's world, and a friend to boot. She doesn't want to cause trouble for him.]

Only positive things. Like that you were helping him settle in, differentiate between shampoo and soap

I had imagined someone a little less....flashy? Not that it's a bad thing.

no worries!

[blyat]

What, you expected someone prim and buttoned-up, the good samaritan type? Not really my style. He was just trying to make me look good.

[Flashy is one of the least offensive things anyone's ever called him, and it's not wrong. Cain tilts his head, still smirking.]

This your first time at a party like this?

[girlcorrupted]

[ Well at least he isn't offended.]

Physically, yes. I've only seen parties like this from the vantage point of a surveillance feed previously. Getting to be here in person is a nice change of pace, for the most part.

[ Angel looks out to the crowed, how carefree most seem, enraptured by music and alcohol. ]

Pardon me for presuming, but I take it this kind of scene is normal for you. You seem well adapted.

[blyat]

[From the vantage point of a surveillance feed... is such a strange, specific reply. What sort of situation would require that? Who couldn't go to an actual party? As close as he is to questioning it, Cain's distracted by her next comment.]

Yeah, guess so. It's just partying, used to do it all the time.

[Back home goes unsaid.]

Had any drinks yet? Tried dancing? Tons of shit you can do now that you're not just watching through a security feed.

[girlcorrupted]

[ This should be usual for someone within her age range, it's only a fresh experience for her due to abnormal circumstances...no biggie for anyone else.

She shakes her head at his question ]

No, I worry my lack of experience would make others uncomfortable. I'd hate to step on toes. Literally.

[ A cover, she's just nervous, wants to experience this new freedom so badly while overwhelmed at all the possibilities in front of her. She goes to feign a sip from her drink again, but is put off by its strong smell before she can even let the liquid touch her lips. ]

[blyat]

[Some of that he can pick up on. Maybe not the true heart of the reason Angel shies from the dance floor, and he has no reason to doubt the truth of her excuse, but he does know inexperience when he sees it. Cain is perceptive enough, and it's clear she isn't comfortable in this environment.]

Why don't we start with getting you a better drink? That one's probably bitter, huh. [He nods toward the bar, where Hideki has hopelessly commandeered the station.] With that guy making 'em, it's gotta have way more alcohol than you want. What do you wanna try, sweet or savory?

[girlcorrupted]

[ She ducks her head, sheepish at how obvious she must be. Socializing as a normal adult at a party always looked so exciting from a distance, all those she watched made it look easy. It isn't.

She nods at his suggestion, abandoning her current drink on one of the smaller tables for a waiter to come collect. ]

Uhm, sweet? That sounds like the more appealing option.

[blyat]

Yeah, I bet.

[Liquor is an acquired taste, and without sugar to tame it down, he can't imagine it tastes good. Hideki's standard cocktails are more at his level of "alcoholism" than the general public's, after all. Cain waves a hand so she'll follow and then cuts to the other side of the bar, where he begins to make her a drink himself.]

How old are you, anyway?

[girlcorrupted]

[ Angel follows Cain at his prompting, watching with idle curiosity as he prepares a drink. ]

Twenty one.

[ 21 and never been to a party. Tragic. ]

[blyat]

[Except for a quick brief look, Cain doesn't bring attention to her age. Not everyone's at the same place in life, or had the same opportunities. Abel's shown him that even if it was a strange thing to wrap his head around initially.]

Hey, still got plenty of time to go to more parties. [Smiling still, he finishes making the very simple cocktail. Jack and Coke. Mostly soda so as to off-set the burn of whiskey. It's not anywhere near the strength of Hideki's concoction, so Angel may not even taste the liquor at all, just soda. He passes it over the bar top.] Unless you don't really like 'em.

[girlcorrupted]

I had made peace with the assumption I would never have the opportunity, so to suddenly have so many options open to me is…overwhelming?

[ She hadn’t decided if she liked the party scene yet, too new, too little to compare it to. But she didn’t dislike it, either. She accepts the drink with a thank you, immediately noticing how the smell of alcohol doesn’t waft up from the glass like the previous one had, she’s even able to take a small sip. Then a more generous one when it doesn’t make her tastebuds want to jump out of her skull. ]

It may have been in my best interest to start smaller, given everything else I am adapting to. I’ve seen soirees consisting of a slightly…quieter crowed. Sometimes they were even themed! Um…

[ Maybe the alcohol is hitting a little, faster than she expected but this is her first experience with alcohol. And at her size it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that she’s a total lightweight. ]

Sorry, I'm getting away from myself.

[blyat]

[Cain lets out a huff of laughter, short-lived but real as he leans forward against the bar to brace elbows on its glossy white surface.]

No problem. Sounds like it's really out of your element. Soirees, that some fancy dinner party or something?

[Not the type to ever have attended one, or ever been invited -- but that's no surprise. He's scum under the heel of that stratosphere of privilege.]

What kinda themes did they have?

[girlcorrupted]

[ She smiles, emboldened by how she isn’t being immediately shut down for her tangenting ]

Fancy doesn’t begin to describe the types of parties held on the Helios space station, they were opulent, usually meant as a show of wealth and power on behalf of the CEO. Sometimes the theme would be murder mystery…except with real bodies.

[ She makes a face of discomfort, not only because of how such a thing was unpleasant, but how most of the other Displaced weren’t nearly so casual when it came to speaking about violence. Cataloguing employee casualties, usually at the hands of Handsome Jack himself, for fun…it was part of her day to day. And don’t even get her started on how commonplace it was planet-side. But it made others uncomfortable, and that was the last thing Angel wanted to do. She takes another awkward sip of her drink. ]

I…would rather not attend a party like that. I witnessed a masked ball once, that looked like a lot of fun! As well as a bandit mask ball…but that was far less elegant.

[ And kind of disrespectful to the residents of Pandora, if she’s perfectly honest. ]

You said you’ve attended a lot of functions like this, are you familiar with parties like those?

[blyat]

[Helios space station. He catches that, attention drawn to the thread of similarity between them.]

Lucky for you, that shit's not likely here. Unless you get into some bad circles. [The underground and its organized crime, as an example. Cain's kept his nose out of it so far.] But no, never been to parties like that. Not really used to wealth even on this scale.

[He gestures to the area around them, bright lights and flowing liquor and real meat on display. Hideki pouring in buckets of money for this party. Not meager by any means.]

Sounds more like Earth. Got a lot of rich clones there, real showy, all about appearances and how much money you got in your pocket. Nothing like where I'm from.

[girlcorrupted]

[ Angel cocks her head to the side. That answer is surprising, not only because the majority of Displaced seem to be from another version of Earth, but because ]

You're not? I was under the impression you and Able came from the same planet. Was interplanetary travel possible in your universe?

[ Able had mentioned space travel, but only one planet ever came up. She puts a hypothesis together ]

Are you from a space station?