Halloween Bash

[Dryad]

Ianthe walked about the room and inspected it for what must have been the hundredth time. She was just so nervous about this whole thing. Why did she think it would be a good idea to have a party? It was more the bailiwick of some of her other former teammates. They certainly knew how to celebrate and did so very often. The light in the rented hall were dimmed; different colored bulbs played out colors against the wooden floor.

She had decorated the place in a theme she thought was appropriate for Halloween. Ianthe had went for the mad scientist theme of course. It was something that she knew very well; well maybe not the mad part. The woman was more of a happy kind of scientist. There were lab tables with test tubes and rack. There were boiling flasks settled precariously over Bunsen burners; white spoke appearing to boil forth. White fog swirled about her ankles as she moved around. Ianthe stopped to make sure that the table of food was all in good order.

Ianthe was not wearing her usual attire. In fact it was very different than anything she would wear and she wouldn't do so if it wasn't Halloween. The woman was clad in three inch, red heels. She wore a very short, spaghetti strap dress; the sides were laced up to expose some of her green skin. There was even an obviously fake gun strapped to one thigh. Ianthe had decided to dress like the female cohort of your typical mad scientist's female cohort. The green skinned woman was hoping to have fun tonight.

The invitations had been sent out some time ago. They were shaped like jack o' lanterns; inviting new friends and old friends to her shindig. She liked the idea of bringing them all together. More than that she was curious about how everyone would dress. Ianthe could only hope that people would actually show up. Her second hope was that the people who did show up had fun. Maybe there could even be a bit of mending of hurt feelings. Ianthe didn't think on that last one too much. She just turned and started making a circuit of the room again.

[KingMonkey]

DJ strode into the hall confidently. He paused just inside the door to scan the area and a broad grin came to his face. Ianthe had outdone herself with this shindig. The hall had truly been transformed into a mad scientist's lab, or at least the closest thing to a mad scientist's lab that would still be interesting to party in.

He spotted Ianthe across the room and took a moment to appraise and appreciate her outfit. Then, he crossed the room to present himself to her.

He was wearing a bright white suit from neck to toes. White jacket, white vest, white shirt, even white patent leather shoes and white socks. The only other color was a black bolo tie with a cross. His hair was slicked back tight against his scalp and he was freshly shaven. He had a worn Bible clutched in one hand.

"I come today to warn you of the wages of sin! I come today to tell you of the temptations of drugs and fornication! I come today to open your eyes to the threat of the heathen and the sodomite! I come today to save you from this Devil Holiday and the perniciousness that it commands! Put your faith in our Lord and Savior Juh-ee-sus Christ and yourself in my hands and your soul will be redeemed!" he shouted, raising his hands higher and higher with each sentence until they are extended over his head and he's looking up at the ceiling.

He paused for a moment and then looked down at her with a grin. "Hey, Sugar, this place looks great, thanks for invitin' me."

[Dryad]

It took Ianthe a moment or two to actually recognize her friend. Seeing the man completely clean shaven was a rare event and that was definitely not the way DJ usually dressed. This was the fun of it after all; being completely out of character on Halloween. Ianthe was trying to figure out who he was supposed to be for another moment. Her first guess was the man who sold chicken. She couldn't exactly remember his name at the moment; not actually eating food kept the ascendant out of the loop on those kinds of matters.

DJ's words were what revealed his costume and drew her eyes down to the cross. Ah. He was supposed to be one of those fellows. In fact the words caused her to step back a bit from the intensity of them. When Ianthe had went to church it was more of the quiet, sedate sort that let out in an hour; leaving people plenty of time to use the rest of their day. Her red lips, courtesy of make up that didn't make her sick, curved up into a smile. Ianthe quietly waited for him to finish.

"I know you a little too well Daniel Jackson Anderson. The last thing that putting myself in your hands would do is redeem my soul."

She leaned forward to place a quick peck on DJ's cheek.

"Thank you. I worked really hard on it. I should be thanking you for coming. I was worried I'd be here alone and eating any of this food is a non starter."

Ianthe moved a short distance to a table lined with various glassware right at home in a labratory. She picked up a large volumetric flask and removed the glass "cork". The neck was long and thin; the part holding the liquid looking something like a raindrop. She poured some of the blue contents it a 25 ml beaker. Ianthe then picked up a second flash and added a green liquid. The concoction started pouring out smoke and she held up the beaker.

"You should try this one. I have been told it is very good."

[Raiden]

Kuro didn't know about the rest of his teammates in Gamma Strike or the old fogies like Majors Barrow and Lorcasf, but he at least was never one to miss out on a party. That went double for a Halloween party. The holiday wasn't a major event in his home country, and he'd always been forbidden from attending any of the few festivals and parties it spawned in Sapporo. His father, who put the "ultra" in ultra-conservative, insisted that it was further example of foreign encroachment undermining the "traditional values" of Japanese society, like modern day Black Ships sailing into Tokyo harbour. That sort of tirade wasn't unique for Kage Ikeda, and generally applied to anything from heavy metal music to sneakers; so Kuro had to learn to pick his battles, and Halloween had just always lost out.

But not this year. This year he would finally get to cut loose, rub elbows with some people, and most importantly, dress like an idiot. His costume drew a few puzzled stares on the subway ride from the university campus to JW Tower in Anglia's downtown core, but amid all the anticipation he felt, he hardly noticed. When he reached his stop, he gathered his purple gi about his shoulders to ward off the mid-autumn chill and gripped the fake sword strapped to his hip tightly, then dashed up to the street. His loose, open clothes weren't ideal for the cool weather, so he made his way to the party venue quickly, fishing the invitation out of his pocket even as he shouldered his way through the glass doors at the front of JW Tower's main lobby.

"Name?" a stern-faced security guard rumbled when Kuro handed him his invitation. The teenager pushed a few stray bunches of orange-red hair from his wig out of his eyes, revealing the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek in the process and briefly drawing a surprised glance from the guard. His hand withdrew from the proffered invitation, and his gruff demeanour melted into a polite smile. "Ah, sorry, I didn't recognize you there for a second, with that red hair. Go on in, sir."

Kuro regarded the other man with a puzzled expression, but quickly shrugged, and thinking nothing more of it, hurried off to the party room. As the youth slipped out of sight, the other on-duty security guard glanced up from the magazine he was reading and eyed his partner. "Who was that?"

"Some major in the Army, Langstaff or something," the first man explained. "It's one of Ms. Amery's weird old friends that the boss says to let in any time they stop by."

"Oh yeah, that guy. Huh... I thought he was supposed to be taller."

Kuro's Costume:


This post has been edited by Raiden on Nov 5 2009, 09:16 AM

[KingMonkey]

DJ frowned a bit at Ianthe's first reaction. Perhaps he'd come on a bit too strong. But then, the kind of person he was dressed up as was supposed to come on too strong. Still, he didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. In fact, when he thought about it, he wasn't even sure what religion Ianthe was. It was quite possible that what he'd said was inherently offensive.

He was quite relieved when she smiled and even more relieved when she spoke. His own lips curled into a smile not unlike her own. A smile that only grew broader and fuller when she placed a rather chaste kiss on his cheek.

He gave her outfit another once over as that wolfish grin remained on his face. "You do know me well. If you put yourself in my hands while wearin' that dress, I might just take you to Heaven but there wouldn't be no soul redeemin' involved."

He followed her over to the table, giving her just enough lead time that he could check out the back of her outfit. Of course, his eyes were on her face when she turned back to him with a drink in a very theme appropriate container.

"Hey, one thing you do not need to worry 'bout when I come to a party is the food gettin' ate. I'll take care of that for you right quick and in a hurry. Let me know if there are any hot girls that need to be hit on, too. Any other hot girls, I mean." He gave her a wink to show he was joking...mostly.

It was then that Kuro entered the room and even in the dark space and with the distance between them, DJ could see the details of the young man's costume. "Huh...that's weird," he commented to Ianthe. "He even knows Dom."

DJ figured he'd be personable, especially since there might be more things Ianthe needed to do besides play hostess. He could tell how much she wanted the party to be a success so he figured he'd help out.

Sauntering over, he called out to the young Ascendant. "Hey kid, don't you know Dom's got black hair? It oughta be braided, too and I don't think I never saw him wear anythin' quite like that. Well...there was that one time, but that was a bet, so I don't think that oughta count."

[Captivelight]

Gabriel had never actually been to a Halloween party. Why would he attend such a thing? It was just a candy sweetened path to the gates of Hell. Now that is what his father would tell him. Well that was just the beginning of what he would be told. The sermon would last for hours upon hours. He was also sure that would be only the beginning of things. His father had always been a very hard man.

Now the big blond stood a short distance from the security guards watching over the door. The gave him a strange look or two. He had been standing there for few minutes now; quietly deciding if he should go inside. As if the actual devil was waiting to usher him down to an eternal punishment he deserved. Gabriel looked down at his costume. He hoped it would protect him from any kind of punishment.

Gabriel was dressed in the uniform of the Knight Templars. He had the shield hooked over his left arm and a sword belted at his waist. The white mantle with the red cross was draped across his back. His long hair, as usual, was hanging down his back in a tight braid. Gabriel stared at the invitation, sighed dramatically, and then walked forward to hand over the invitation. The guards looked it over and then immediately let him walk inside. The science lab motif was strange, but it was not eternal fire. So he relaxed just the smallest bit.

[Captivelight]

Monique was not unsure about going to party. The petite girl was excited about any opportunity to dress up. Every day was something new, but Halloween was especially fun. It was cool to get an invitation to the party even if she wasn't at the institute anymore. The teenager was sure that she would be again in the future. Things had just changed for her and more than that she enjoyed the school.

The small girl bounced up to the door in red boots, the tops wedged with white, that went up to her knees. Her hair was a very definite blond at the moment; a small bun on each side with loose hair hanging down to her knees. Some of the hair was her own, but the hanging pieces were definitely extensions. She had a blue shirt and a white top; a large red ribbon set at her chest. It was clear by this point, at least by anyone who enjoyed manga, that she was Sailor Moon. Monique had something of an obsession with that kind of thing and now she had the money to make a proper costume. It was so exciting to her.

The security guards let her bounce by and she kept right on bouncing into the room. Monique first squealed about the decorations, because they were just perfect. At the sight of Kuro though she made an even louder squeal and jumped off the ground. She remained there and clapped her hands together.

"It's Kenshin. Just like in the manga. So cool."

Monique's Costume:


This post has been edited by Captivelight on Nov 2 2009, 07:57 PM

[Raiden]

Kuro's features were still fixed in an expression of puzzlement when he stepped into the party hall. His confusion didn't last much longer, though, before someone called out to him, and everything became clear: "Hey kid, don't you know Dom's got black hair? It oughta be braided, too and I don't think I never saw him wear anythin' quite like that. Well...there was that one time, but that was a bet, so I don't think that oughta count." Surprised, the teenager turned quizzical purple-hued eyes toward the source of the voice and saw an older man approaching from across the room. He was vaguely familiar to the teenager, someone he wasn't personally acquainted with, although he'd seen him around the Institute every now and then, mostly hanging around with the majors. Yet another one of Major Barrow's old 'war buddies'.

"It's not Major Lorcasf," Kuro called back with a chuckle. Who would dress up like some guy they knew, anyway? If he was going to come to the party as Domerin, he would have come in an Oversoul costume instead. He already had the mask and the bodysuit for it. "It's--"

"It's Kenshin."

This time, Kuro did recognize the voice that interrupted his train of thought. "Oro?" he muttered (a bit too deep in character), and half-turned to look back over his shoulder at the diminutive girl who walked into the room, squealing and jumping, behind him. At the sight of her costume, it was all the teenager could do not to burst out laughing - and in fact, he had to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from doing just that. Sailor Moon?! "Ah, thanks, Monique! Your costume is nice, too!"

[KingMonkey]

"Whoa," DJ said when he saw Monique's costume. It was about the most coherent statement he could get to come out of his mouth. His taste in anime went to the giant robots which was part of the reason why he didn't know who Kimchi or whoever it was that Kuro was supposed to be. He recognized Sailor Moon, though. The character had had many resurgences in popularity since her first appearance and periodically flooded popular culture. Not recognizing Sailor Moon would be like not recognizing Hello Kitty or Goku.

But he'd never seen the scrawny legged, no bottomed blond girl from the cartoon fill out the costume quite the way that Monique did. Not for the first time, he wondered at the sensibilities of the average Japanese animator. He decided to be mortified that Monique would wear such a revealing outfit. The other things he was feeling weren't nearly as appropriate.

"You look great, Baby Girl," he said, plastering a smile on his face after draining what liquid remained in his glass.

"And I'll bet you made the whole thing yourself, didn't you? Did you know that Monique was an expert seamstress, Kuro? Makes most of her own clothes and some for other folks, too."

He knew the boy from around the Institute and knew that Monique liked him. At least as a friend. Maybe he'd play matchmaker tonight. He'd need a few more drinks in him, though.

[Captivelight]

Monique managed to bounce her way over to the pair; without her feet actually managing to touch the ground. She might have thrown Kuro across if he had laughed at her costume. The petite teenager was not completely in control of her powers. She also tended to be temperamental and also very sensitive about her appearance. Monique was very proud of her costume. She had worked very hard on it and all the others she had made for the holiday.

"Ruroni Kenshin. Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story. It's maybe the third...fourth...maybe fifth manga that I ever read. Sailor Moon was the very first one and this is the first time I could do the costume justice. You look really good though Kuro."

Monique clapped together and bounced some more; her feet still off the ground. she was in a very good mood because of the party. The girl always wanted to visit the next party and have fun; which is why she would be hitting several more before the weekend was through.

"I did make all of my costumes. It's going to be manga all weekend. I have one where I will be Orihime from Bleach."

She looked over to DJ and her gaze went up and down. She knew just what he meant to be.

"Are you gonna start preaching about how bad Halloween is? I like Halloween. I can dress up."