MASQUERADE PARTY, 33 Apocalypse Ave, Friday Evening

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

Party night. The best of nights. An ornate sign on 33 Apocalypse’s door invited all to knock and make themselves known.

The space inside was bigger than it looked from the outside, stretched and displaced by magic. The wallpaper was green and textured, hinting at the English countryside. On one side of the room sat a significant bar offering food and drinks, while the other gave ample space to sit. A large Jenga tower held prominence in a corner.

It was easy to miss it, though, in favor of the little streams of water that ran across furniture and floor. Tiny glass gondolas, animated by magic, made their way back and forth across each stream. The gondolas were real, though the water itself was an illusion. It called attention to the ceiling, doubly enchanted: both to draw all cigarette smoke to itself so it wouldn’t blow in anyone’s face, but also to mimic the starry sky above Venice.

You could watch the stars twinkle, or see the occasional cloud go by. Magical fireflies added to the illusion, dancing through the air like tiny lights. If you listened closely, you could hear the sea rolling in across an invisible beach. Even the air smelled faintly of it: the sea, warm food and good wine.

Welcome to Eliot and Margo’s pad, people. They’d make damn sure you had a good time.

[ocd up, come party!]

Comments

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"I want to know," Irene began, which was already not really how you started a question, "about your favorite photo on your phone."

She winked, which was one part Irene being Irene, and one part having about a cocktail and a half too much to drink by now. "Bonus points if you show it to me."

People who did not have phones were clearly SOL and had to drink, sad.

Re: Truth or Drink

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

“The first three options are filthy,” Margo said, grinning. “But I got a great one of me and El in freshman year right after he figured out how to bottle magic. Like, literally? Along with the booze?”

Re: Truth or Drink

[existencemisspent]

"Oh not the one with the hair," Eliot said, half-assedly reaching for her phone. "It was an experimental phase!"

Re: Truth or Drink

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

“It’s not my fault you left me with all the collateral!”

Re: Truth or Drink

[existencemisspent]

“You’re so cruel, Bambi.” Eliot let out a sigh. “I love it.”

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"I didn't say 'Your favorite photo besides the dirty ones,'" Irene pointed out, grinning all the same. "Is he a precious adorable freshman? It sounds like it."

Re: Truth or Drink

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

“Totally,” Margo said smugly. “But I’d be happy to share the dirty ones with you in private.”

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"I'm so there," Irene replied with a smile that promised more. "Lemme see this bad hair, though."

Re: Truth or Drink

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

“It was honestly kind of adorable,” Margo laughed, holding up her phone. “He just let it go wild, got an undercut, and like, thought wearing specs would save it.”

Re: Truth or Drink

[existencemisspent]

"Ditto on the filthy," Eliot said. Two could play at this game. "But if anyone wants to see the Margolem for themselves, I managed to snap a photo or several. . . ."

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"Oh my God, I want to see," Irene demanded, immediately delighted by the very idea (even if 'the Margolem' was really just quite a phrase.)

Re: Truth or Drink

[existencemisspent]

Wasn't it just? Eliot's was called the 'doppelbanger'.

. . . It was also dead, but that was besides the point.

Eliot passed along his phone obligingly. On it was a photo of two Margos, one wearing her lovely pink coat and scowling at the other, who was wearing a cute little sundress and smiling brightly and more than a little vacantly.

"She was a dreadful breech of boundaries and ethics, but she was fun."

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"Oh, she's terrible," Irene breathed in rapturous, scandalized delight. "She looks like you could blow straight between her ears and hear a whistle. Cute dress, though."

Irene had also not seen what Margo looked like with both eyes before now, so that caught her interest and was filed away, as well.

Re: Truth or Drink

[existencemisspent]

“Oh, I’m sure you could have, actually. The man who made her was not exactly a living-clay savant.”

Re: Truth or Drink

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I've only just got a new phone," Jon said. "But, um. I have some very good cat pictures on it."

Which Eliot had said were nerdy.

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"Do you have a cat?" Irene asked interestedly. "Is it a cute cat, or do you just think so because it's your cat?"

For the record: Irene also felt this way about pictures of children.

Re: Truth or Drink

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I, um. I had a cat for that weekend that people turned into...other people or things?" Jon said. "Only it turned out it was, um. A person turned into a cat."

He took out his phone and passed it over. "It was, um. Goose. I don't know if you've met him. He was a lovely cat, though."

Re: Truth or Drink

[begmetwice]

"Aw, little marmalade devil," Irene crooned, actually scritching the phone with her fingernail. "I love him."

Maybe Irene had had enough to drink.

Re: Truth or Drink

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon smiled dopily, which was equal parts Jon had had enough to drink and Jon adored cats. "He reminds me a little of The Admiral. My...friend's...cat, back home. Only The Admiral is fluffier." Was? Hopefully still is.