meadowlarklogs | one night of magic rush

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one night of magic rush

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.]

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[Images that Prompto had snapped of him with little to zero warning, no doubt. But at this point, V probably remains oblivious to the growing popularity of that particular Cooltalk account, and therefore recognition isn't something he particularly expects from... well, anyone.

Not that Cain has made it clear that he does. V allows his cane to rest across his lap, balanced evenly, leaning his elbows into the counter that stretches across from them.]

'Sunshine'. [Now that's a fitting descriptor if he's ever heard one.] If you mean I was dragged here with little to no choice, then yes. I was 'invited'.

[Maybe Cain can hear the scare quotes an otherwise plain-toned delivery.]

He hates it. [Sunshine, that is.] Which means you should definitely call him by it.

[The smirk fixed onto his lips doesn't fade, only broadening at the knowledge of Prompto's forced plus-one. Roommates now, if the Cooltalk story is to be believed. He's yet to ask Prompto directly. They don't talk too often outside their duty to the Hideki arrangement, and Cain's beginning to suspect their casual acquaintance is a result of how good they are at this whole playing a role setup. Maybe it's because they're trapped in this fake dynamic with Hideki Maeda. Sometimes when he's talking to Prompto, it feels like there's a translucent wall of glass that divides them. A personal boundary. Like they're both giving only the slightest inch, even though Prompto's cheery and considerate and charismatic in a crowd, even though Cain is flashy and confident. It's still as though they know nothing about each other beneath the surface.]

You could've said no. Doesn't seem like the type to ignore heartfelt protests, but maybe I'm wrong.

[His grin becomes more lopsided than before, the annoyance behind this apparent nickname bringing him some mirth.] Funny that he dislikes it. I think it suits him.

[Prompto has way too much energy and enthusiasm. Sunshine only seems fitting for the young man, really.]

Then again, I called him 'Mr. Silver' because of his last name, but he seemed to hate that, too. Some people just don’t appreciate creativity.

[A shrug of angled shoulders, then a glance back at the dance floor behind them. Not that they can hope to spot Prompto in the crowd as big and raucous as this one. In the glaring lighting of the place, everyone’s features become warped with color at a distance, anyhow, so V considers it a moot point.]

But I guess my protests weren’t heartfelt enough — and I was curious. All of this is unlike… anything I’ve ever seen before.

[One dark brow lifted as V goes on, he wonders at the language used. There's an air of poise and elegance to the words at odds with Prompto as Cain knows him.]

Mr. Silver, that's fuckin' hilarious. No wonder he hates it, makes him sound like some crotchety old man.

[All the more reason to use the name, in Cain's opinion. In brief pause, he lifts his drink to lips and takes another swallow.]

You're not the only one. Swear it feels like half of you guys have never been to a real party in your life. So, what are you used to?

[Just one more thing that makes V stand out among the party, despite his casual clothes done-up in all black. His demeanor is more placid, more subdued than most here; even as he speaks to Cain, he has to pitch his tone up a notch so that he can be heard over a group's rambunctious laughter nearby.

Even his huff of laughter dies in the swell of all the noise.]

I'm used to a quiet corner, a book in hand and a fireplace crackling beside me.

[It's a stretch of a truth, but it was a truth, once -- long ago, through barely measured time. The rest of his experiences are not quite what the other is seeking, not in the confines of this particular conversation.]

[It isn't easy to hear V over the chaotic noise of their surroundings. Cain leans, hand cupped over an ear, barely capturing the sound of that laughter as it rises and is swallowed by the competing sensory input of loud music and raucous partygoers.]

Well, you're definitely not gonna get that here.

[A sweep of Cain's gaze evaluates him in comparison to Prompto's posts. The two next to each other, too-bright and too-dark, makes him wonder.]

How the hell did you even meet? You're, uh. One of us, right?

[Has to be. V should know what he means. Otherwise, Prompto picked him out of the city at large, and V doesn't seem natural to New Amsterdam by any means. Cain could perhaps be more subtle, but as that isn't his way, here they are.]

[A smile gone more skewed, a silent assent to that declaration: Well, you're definitely not gonna get that here. It’s true, and he couldn’t agree more — all the more reason why V attending these kind of gatherings will be a rarity rather than a new habit.

V almost shrugs, but instead opts for a chin to rest on the heel of his palm. Black tattoos peek out from beneath the cuff of dark sleeves, coiling up the back of his hand. The former question alone reveals Cain’s own role as a Displaced, though perhaps V already knew as much before coming here, courtesy of his discussions with Prompto.]

He found me during the Halloween festivities. Freshly stumbling about.

[So yes, definitely one of their number.]

We all get brought in during events like that. For the anonymity, you know? They throw us out into the crowd, drive off, nobody sees anything 'cause they're too distracted by a party or some other thing.

[It's a well-known pattern by now: Cain appeared in the rave, and then there were other celebrations to follow, from the convention to Oktoberfest to Halloween. Perhaps one anomaly was New Tokyo, but that just proved their captors know where they are. Know where the new arrivals need to be. Passed off, intentional and methodical.

Reaching with one hand, he pops another of the meat appetizers into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. A sip of whiskey washes it down.]

So, curiosity satisfied for all this? [He gestures to the club at large.] Or are you counting down the seconds to get out of here?

So it's all very purposeful. I'd call it clever, but I'm hesitant to provide them with anything resembling a compliment right now.

[He's easy mannerisms, an unaffected tone; but V is also not a fan of what happened to him that night, the discomfort of being torn away from his world, where important matters were being seen to, still raw against his insides.

A tap of his finger onto the cool surface of the bar, the other hand still allowing a place to rest his chin.]

Counting the seconds. [At least he's honest.] No offense directed to your own party, of course. But it seems to be running very long. Maybe I'll say hello to the host later to kill some time.

[Cain snorts, leaning with both of his own elbows propped against the bar top.]

Good luck with that. He can be kinda particular about who he hangs around. Somehow me and Prompto got into his good graces. Guess I'm just so damn charming.

[A sharp hook of an ambiguous smile goes V's way. And he doesn't know V, or how much Prompto's shared, so he won't go into too much depth there.]

So? How's New Amsterdam hold up compared to what you're used to? Everybody comes from somewhere.

That must be it.

[He lingers in the aftermath of what he thinks is a small joke, even if he doesn't know Cain enough to make even a snap-judgment of his personality. But he's curious, and V is fine with answering generalized questions.]

My world is a ruinous place. The last month hasn't been kind to it, and it was something I was seeking to fix before all of... [A lazy gesture at his surroundings.] ...this.

[Before ping-ponged from one world to another.]

But it was a city on Earth. Populous, full of towering buildings. But not to the extent of New Amsterdam, which lies centuries ahead of my own time. No hoverbikes, no hovercars. A certainly no implant permanently grafted to my skull.

Yeah, real fucking weird, huh? [As if rote habit, Cain's fingers lift to rub the faded scar since healed at the base of his skull. He remembers the first shock of its existence, and the first blinding strangeness of that depth added to his field of vision: messaging, GPS, an entire world of technology.] Kinda forget it exists. Just part of living now.

[Yet adaption has always been his strong suit. You can get used to anything with enough time.]

You were trying to fix a whole world? Sounds ambitious. Any luck?

[An endeavor he'd never put himself to, even in consideration of how much widespread corruption and prejudice existed in his own. He doesn't exactly have the means for change.]

[V thinks the implants are invasive, a sorry truth of a world becoming too fixated on being connected, always submersed in quick-access data and immediate gratification. He's sure it makes certain tasks easier, officially putting analog in the grave, but there are risks involved with being perpetually "plugged in" -- he's read enough books to list at least ten different realities where this only ends badly.

But this is the sentiment of a man still a little sore about the changes done to his fragile body. Someone who prefers the spine of a book pressed into his palm, rather than the interactive HUD of an unfathomably large, digitally connected web.]

Not really. [At least he's honest, a dull-toned delivery that doesn't betray how worrisome that actually is.] But I found a small amount of hope... just before I was abducted and brought here, presumably. Fate must be having a laugh.

[Nothing can be easy.]

What of yourself? Your world?

[He won't pry into V's small amount of hope, however it had manifested itself. Those stories are never an answer of the same simplicity as the question, and besides, V's turned it around on him. Broad shoulders roll in a shrug, posture lounging forward against the bar top as he polishes off the last of golden whiskey in the crystal glass. Real glass, it seems, not the disposable replacements he's accustomed to finding in most venues as result of diminished world resources.]

Dunno, I mean, it's sure as hell not like this. [A flippant gesture signals the area around them.] Never been to Earth before. You know your planets?

[Months have passed, he's not as guarded with this information. Once he would have dodged it. Now, he's certain it's public knowledge somewhere on the Morningstar network. It doesn't matter much.]

I was born and raised on a colony on Mars. Then I was on a ship in space for a while, now I'm here. Been here since August. Doesn't look like I'll be headed back any time soon, and I'm fine with that. The technology isn't that advanced from what I'm used to, just kinda evolved in a different direction, or something. [Again, another tap to the embedded implant.]

Edited 2019-06-09 02:38 (UTC)

I know all nine of them. [The planets, he means. He straightens a little, almost shrugging again.] Or is it supposed to be eight now? Poor Pluto, neglected for being small.

[But he listens to Cain's explanation, the far-flung idea of space colonies existing in different worlds. (He thinks he might've heard, in passing, the mention of a Mars colony in this one, too.) One statement sticks more than the rest: Doesn't look like I'll be headed back any time soon, and I'm fine with that.]

You've been here for a long time. Comparatively speaking, at least. But is that long enough for you to not care about returning?

Comparatively. Really hasn't been that long. What, two months here? Still feels like half a lifetime.

[He wasn't in the military too long before he was assigned to Abel, either, and that still felt like a lengthy chapter in his life. Maybe it all had to do with the course of events. High stress, ever-changing routines, never a second to settle down. Always something that would lurk around the corner, even in this place. Maybe it was naive to think he could settle here.]

I don't have anything back there. Not without trouble. [A lazy shrug.] City's not that bad. Free health care, jobs that pay enough to put food on the table and keep the lights on, people leave you alone most of the time. Yeah, there's weird shit going on, but that's everywhere.

[The Alliance would be after them, no matter Abel's assurances they could handle it and outmaneuver them. He only saw a lifetime of hiding on the colonies as best he could. It's what he knows.]

Is it?

[Everywhere, he means. He gestures out to the party, as if letting it represent the whole of New Amsterdam. V isn't afraid to speak freely, given that no one could overhear them in this noise unless they made an effort to stand needlessly close. ]

Strange powers, a sometimes-dormant something inlaid in our chests. Sicknesses, monsters, dreams. [All that he's heard of, but never experienced.] All of us, still unknowing how or why we're here. And let's not forget about the oppressive corporations and the masses they look down upon.

[That much was made clear, doing only a small amount of research about Morningstar and their goals. Shuffling through the network, a good way to pass the time.]

In my opinion, this place has plenty that would dissuade most from wanting to stay. You must have quite a bit of trouble waiting for you back home.

You've done your research into the shit we've gone through, huh?

[Not all of which Cain was present to experience.]

It's bad, but at least we're free to do what we want most days. There's independence and enough money to eat and pay the bills on time. [Something that couldn't be said for the state of his life if he'd returned home, assuming he wasn't thrown directly into prison.]

Wouldn't call it trouble. [It's definitely trouble.] Just a worse situation. So, I'm fine with it here. Doesn't mean I don't wanna know what happened to us.

[He studies V - noting the differences between him and Prompto, from looks to manner of speech. Interesting how they wound up roommates, but then, he and Giovanni were also unalike.]

[It would definitely be viewing the equivalent of night and day. Enthusiasm versus control. Impulse versus contemplation.]

Fair enough. We won't get every far in unravelling the mysteries of this world without... putting all of our heads together, so to speak.

[He flashes him a lopsided smile, a few degrees more prominent than the one already on his face.]

Don't get too distracted by the bustling parties and rich friends. That's my advice to you.

[UNAWARE THAT CAIN IS DOING THIS TO GATHER INFO ON MAEDA...]

[Please remain unaware, in ignorance, thanks.]

Hah, I'll keep it in mind.

[He's far from allowing this sort of atmosphere to go to his head, but he can see the sense in that warning. If only V understood the deeper implications. Maybe Prompto will let him into that little circle of detail, in the future. It's not his to tell.]

See you around. Gotta tend to my loyal followers.

[And passing forward, he gives V a clap on the shoulder as he goes.]

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